BYU Basketball vs Kansas State: Can the Cougars Win and Keep Their Tournament Hopes Alive?

Talmage Morgan | Feb 14, 2025

Feb 11, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kevin Young talks to his team during a timeout during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

BYU basketball has just seven games remaining before the end of the regular season, including three more home games. One of those home games is an upcoming matchup vs. K-State on Saturday. Following that game, the Kansas Jayhawks will be visiting the Marriott Center next week. To finish things off, after a two-game road trip in Arizona, BYU will face off against West Virginia in Provo.

It goes without saying, but with so few opportunities left to get wins at home, the Cougars need to protect the Marriott Center at all costs.

To have reasonable odds at making the NCAA tournament (according to Team Rankings), BYU needs to get to at least 21 wins on the season. At 20 wins, the Cougars' odds are not good - just 15.5%. At 21 wins, those odds jump to 59.3%. And at 22 wins or more, BYU is basically guaranteed a spot in the tourney.

Who are the Kansas State Wildcats?

K-State basketball has had quite a tumultuous season. After losing nine of of ten games through December and January, including a stretch of six losses in a row, the Wildcats have strung together six of the most impressive wins in college basketball. Those wins include (but are not limited to) a 19-point thumping of No. 10 Iowa State on the road, and back to back home wins vs No. 17 Kansas and No. 13 Arizona.

While there may be some inconsistency, this is a Wildcat team that has beaten the toughest teams the Big 12 has to offer. BYU will need to be ready for a Kansas State team that is playing its best basketball right now.

Scouting Report: The Numbers

Statistic	BYU	Kansas State
KenPom Rank	34	57
Points per game	80	74
Rebounds per game	37	34
Assists per game	16.8	16.3
Turnovers per game	12	12.2
FG%	48%	46%

Scouting Report: Players to Watch

6'9" power forward David N'Guessan is a scoring and rebounding machine. He leads the Wildcats in points and rebounds, averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds per game. He's shooting an ultra-efficient 65% from the floor on the season. Keita and Fouss will have their hands full down low keeping him off the glass.

K-State’s guards bring a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double figures. BYU’s zone defense has been improving, but it will be interesting to see how Kevin Young adjusts against the Wildcats, especially with two of their guards—Brendan Housen and Max Jones—shooting over 40% from three. Combined with N’Guessan’s dominant post presence, BYU will be forced to both respect the perimeter and defend the paint effectively.

Prediction

It's no secret that it's tough to win in the Marriott Center. However, Kansas State is playing great basketball right now and will most certainly give the Cougars a run for their money. I see this game coming down to the wire, but give the edge to the Cougars as long as they keep doing the things they've been doing well in the last few weeks, like limiting turnovers and settling into their halfcourt offense.

Home court advantage and a balanced BYU offense will be too much for the Wildcats to overcome.

BYU wins, 84-80