K-State Basketball: Three things to watch for against UMKC

K-State basketball will look to stay undefeated on Tuesday night at home against the UMKC Roos, who are looking for their first road win of the season.

It’s early in the 2017-18 season, but the Kansas State Wildcats basketball team and their counterpart at UMKC know that every game counts when it comes to postseason aspirations. The pressure is on both teams as they face off at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas on Tuesday night.

For the Wildcats (1-0), losing to UMKC (1-1) on their home court for the first time ever would put further doubt in the minds of decision makers about their ability to compete in the Big 12. The conference’s coaches picked Kansas State to finish eighth and none of the Wildcats’ players made it onto the conference’s preseason awards list.

Even a tight win might raise more questions about Kansas State this season. Put simply, the Wildcats need to win this game comfortably in order to augment their case for belonging among the Big 12’s top teams.

For the Roos, securing that first win in Manhattan in the program’s history would be a huge confidence boost for the young roster and legitimize them as a contender in the WAC. UMKC started the season with nine newcomers, including six freshmen.

The Roos had a strong showing against NAIA school Haskell at home on Sunday, but struggled last Friday on the road at Wichita State. This game represents an important “middle ground” level of competition between their first two opponents and will begin to reveal exactly what this team is.

One of these two teams is going to accomplish its objective in this game, and which team that will end up being depends on three factors in Tuesday night’s contest.