The Mississippi State Bulldogs are taking on the Kansas State Wildcats on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas State enters this contest with a 4-0 record, while Mississippi State has gone 2-1 in its first three games. Kansas State leads the all-time series 3-1 over Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs won the last matchup in 2019.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Mississippi State is a -2.5-point favorite against Kansas State. Here is my best bet for tonight’s matchup between Mississippi State vs. Kansas State.
Mississippi State vs. Kansas State (9:30 p.m. ET)
Although the Bulldogs are undefeated, they are ranked 68th on KenPom, while Kansas State is No. 45. On offense, both teams are close, but on defense, the Wildcats have struggled, ranking 96th in defensive rating. Kansas State has allowed 96 and 83 points in back-to-back games against California and Tulsa.
Jerome Tang added nine players this offseason, with five transfers and four freshmen. PJ Haggerty and Nate Johnson combine to make an elite backcourt for the Wildcats. After averaging 21 points in back-to-back seasons, Haggerty has leveled up his scoring as a senior. Haggerty is averaging 26 points per contest, the second most in college basketball. Five players are recording double-digit points per game this year.
Mississippi State is scoring 80.3 points per contest, which is 168th in college basketball. Chris Jans brought in nine new players this season and ranked 30th in recruiting. The Bulldogs have four four-star prospects and multiple four-star transfers. Returning guard, Josh Hubbard, leads the team in scoring with 22.3 points per game. Shawn Jones Jr. is the only other Mississippi State player who averages 10+plus points.
Even though Mississippi State is better on defense, I don’t believe the Bulldogs have enough firepower on offense to keep up with Kansas State. Getting Kansas State to cover the +2.5-point spread at -110 is an excellent play considering how the Wildcats have looked in their first four games.
