Kansas St. 12/30 7:00 CBSSN

[Lobot]

The Bearcats will visit the octagon of doom in Manhattan. Check your TV setup. This is one of the games that landed on CBS Sports Network for some reason with the new TV package.

The Wildcats are 6-5 coming in and have dropped 3 in a row including a drubbing at the Roundhouse in Wichita this past week.They have not beaten a power conference basketball team yet during the non-conference season. I have not watched them but others familiar with them agree with the media opinions on K State in that something is horribly wrong here. They spent a ton of money in the portal and brought some good pieces to the Little Apple but the team has not jelled at all and they don't play together. They were expected to be really good this year based on the roster and it just hasn't happened. Starter Achor Achor has already left the team for personal reasons and the status of Dug McDaniels is in question as he did not play in one game by coaches decision and was only on the floor for 5 minutes vs. the angry wheat on Saturday.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...tats/_/id/2306

[Lobot]

Thanks to the K-State twitter account, I just discovered it's Star Wars night at Bramlage Coliseum for this game.

[leeraymond]

This Kansas State team has some very good players. The two forwards come to mind, N'Guessan and Hawkins. It would NOT surprise me if the NBA comes calling for Hawkins. K-State also has some decent season stats after 11 games. They score about 78 points a game and give up 71 points a game. It currently shoots 46% and teams shoot about 43% against it. K-State also hits about 9 three-point shots a game and only gives up 7 threes a game. A team can win with those numbers.

As was mentioned by Lobot, there are some locker room issues with K-State that are probably affecting the play on the court. Nevertheless, UC should be careful with this team and NOT assume it is NOT a decent team because of its record (6-5). It is a team that has two quality big men that both can shoot the three, it has a 6'4" sharp-shooting guard (Brendan Hausen) that scores in double figures 13.9 / g.), and two more guards that account for about 18 to 19 combined points a game. This team scores about as many points a game as UC does.

Another thing about K-State that makes them dangerous, they are somewhat old (3 seniors and 3 juniors play the most minutes per game).

I personally think that the VU game was the game that changed the intensity of UC's defense. I think that the VU loss toughened UC up. The defense over the last two games has been good and physical; holding both Xavier and Dayton to a combined shooting average of about 38%. That is some pretty good defense against two good scoring teams.

It is often said by basketball experts that "defense travels". I hope so because this game is on the road in a very rowdy place. Regardless of the venue, this is a game that UC should win. Let's hope that UC's defense and a WINNING MIND SET ALSO travels. Let's hope that the UC team that went home for Christmas is the SAME or A BETTER team that comes back after Christmas.

Happy Holidays.

[D.A.H.]

i also think missing mr. skillings against villanova was a killer - i think he's the mvp on this team

[Rufus]

You know this is getting monotonous. I upgraded my sling TV just to get ESPNU to watch the Xavier game and now the Kansas game, conference opener, is not on the tv network designated to air Big 12 contests.

[CatCane]

Hulu with Live TV and Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle has all of the channels.

[swilsonsp4]

Despite the Wildcats' uneven start this season, they're still going to have a large crowd at Bramlage Coliseum Monday night. The arena holds 11K for basketball, and KSU have about 450 seats remaining, including several singles. It should be a difficult environment, so the Bearcats need to start out well to keep the locals quiet. They say defense travels, so let's see plenty of it.

UC have never played K-State in Manhattan, having met only once before last season's 74-72 victory at 5th/3rd Arena. That first meeting took place in Sacramento in the first round of the NCAA Tourney in 2017. The Bearcats dominated the Wildcats that night, 75-61.

[GoBearcats31]

Despite the Wildcats' uneven start this season, they're still going to have a large crowd at Bramlage Coliseum Monday night. The arena holds 11K for basketball, and KSU have about 450 seats remaining, including several singles. It should be a difficult environment, so the Bearcats need to start out well to keep the locals quiet. They say defense travels, so let's see plenty of it.

UC have never played K-State in Manhattan, having met only once before last season's 74-72 victory at 5th/3rd Arena. That first meeting took place in Sacramento in the first round of the NCAA Tourney in 2017. The Bearcats dominated the Wildcats that night, 75-61.

That was a fun game -- can't believe it was seven years ago

KSU is in the middle of winter break, so hopefully having limited students on campus will dull the otherwise crowded arena

I am sure I will regret saying this, but I have always felt Coleman Hawkins was "overrated" and definitely seems that he is having a down year compared to a respectable season a year ago at Illinois.

[swilsonsp4]

That was a fun game -- can't believe it was seven years ago

KSU is in the middle of winter break, so hopefully having limited students on campus will dull the otherwise crowded arena

I am sure I will regret saying this, but I have always felt Coleman Hawkins was "overrated" and definitely seems that he is having a down year compared to a respectable season a year ago at Illinois.

Jerome Tang is having problems with personnel right now. Achor Achor left the team and Dug McDaniel has disappointed and spent their entire last game on the bench (uninjured).

The Wildcats presently are #90 per KenPom (#103 offensive efficiency; #94 defensive). In Bart Torvik's rankings, KSU are #84 with metrics that are meh across the board. Their best attribute appears to be keeping shooters off the arc (#39). The downside there is that, when opponents do shoot outside, they hit a good percentage (#227). They're an okay offensive rebounding team (#81), but below average on the defensive glass (#223). In their four games against decent teams (LSU, St. John's, Drake & WSU), all losses, the Wildcats have been outrebounded in each one.

[DesertFog]

Can anyone tell us how to get CBSSN without subscribing to an expensive package?

[Lobot]

Can anyone tell us how to get CBSSN without subscribing to an expensive package?

Maybe. First question is what do you currently have as a TV package?

[DesertFog]

Maybe. First question is what do you currently have as a TV package?

I have Directv Choice and CBSSN is not included in that package. I have done some research, and sure I could add their expensive package, I could subscribe to another provider that includes CBSSN, maybe with a free trial, etc., but this all seems like overkill for just one game. I was asking not just for myself but also for others on the list that might have questions. I have read that Paramount+ includes CBSSN, and I would be willing to subscribe to that, but I haven't been able to determine for sure if CBSSN is part of their package. I looked into subscribing directly with CBSSN, but apparently that cannot be done.

[Lobot]

Can you access this channel on DTV?

https://www.directv.com/guide/channe...a-6704b027ec50

[CatCane]

Can anyone tell us how to get CBSSN without subscribing to an expensive package?

Depends what you mean by expensive. the Hulu bundle (Live TV/Disney+ and ESPN+) runs about $90/month and has about 100 channels including all sports networks you would need .

[DesertFog]

Can you access this channel on DTV?

https://www.directv.com/guide/channe...a-6704b027ec50

I can access it and if I select it I have the option to order it. I have not gone any further than that. If I check what is in the Choice Package online, it is clear that CBSSN is not part of that package.