Cincinnati Players to Watch: Kansas State Wildcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats look to get back on track following a rough two-week stretch.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Mar 1, 2024 3:14 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats (16-12, 5-9 Big 12) welcome a struggling Kansas State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) squad to Fifth Third Arena Saturday night in a must-win opportunity for both respected programs.

"We have to be more desperate than they are," Jerome Tang said this week. "This is the biggest game of the year, not just because it's the next one. This one's huge. We might as well call this an NCAA Tournament game."

Kansas State Players To Watch

The Wildcats are led by veteran point guards Tylor Perry and Cam Carter. The dynamic backcourt duo leads the Wildcats in scoring as Perry (16 PPG) and Carter (15 PPG) are the team's top two scorers. Perry was one of the nation's most sought-after players this past offseason in the transfer portal, before settling on Tang and the Wildcats last spring.

The backcourt duo is something to keep an eye on heading into this matchup as both Carter, and Perry are elite scorers. Day-Day Thomas and Jizzle James will fight with their hands because of Carter and Perry's ability to get inside and attack the rim, so for the Bearcats, that is something that can not happen. Perry has shot nearly 150 free throws on the season, where he is a 91% free throw shooter, while Carter is shooting at an 85% clip from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats are not a team that will beat you from the perimeter, shooting just 31% from three on the season. However, 6-foot-7 wing Arthur Kaluma leads the Wildcats in three-point shooting percentage, shooting at a 37% clip on the season. The talented wing becomes a huge threat to the Bearcats, as the talented wing player is playing the best ball of his career, averaging nearly 15 points and seven rebounds on 43% from the field.

Safe to say that Arthur Kaluma will draw the John Newman matchup on Saturday, but the junior wing can affect the game in many ways. Kaluma, loves to crash the boards, leading the Wildcats in rebounding, so the Bearcats, have to find a way to keep him off the offensive boards.

Cincinnati Players to Watch

This is a matchup where they should exploit the Wildcats in the paint due to the size mismatch. Kansas State only has one player on the roster standing taller than 6-foot-10 Will McNair. Could this be the game where Viktor Lakhin breaks back through for the Bearcats following his 11-point, nine-rebound performance vs Houston?

The Bearcat's front court will be the difference maker in this contest as the physicality of Jamille Reynolds, Aziz Bandaogo, and Lakhin in the paint should give the Wildcats troubles on both ends of the court. The Bearcat's identity this season has been rebounding the basketball, as they currently sit top-10 in all of college basketball in rebounding. This is one of those games where they should win the rebounding margin by double digits.

Now, if the Bearcats can do that and dominate the paint, this should be a game that plays directly into the Bearcat's favor if they can find a way to get the ball inside early that will allow things to open up. If Cincinnati can get another 11-point, nine-rebound performance from Lakhin, or a big day from Reynolds, this is a game UC can win by double-digits.

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