Kansas State gets a significant boost in rating for this game with Dean Wade scheduled to return to the lineup. Wade is the best player on the team and my data makes the Wildcats just +1.5 underdogs on a neutral court. Take the points!

Since leading scorer Dean Wade’s foot injury has idled him, Kansas State has scored 67, 59 and 50 points, all against up-tempo opponents. K-State was awful offensively in its last outing against UMBC and, with Wade expected at most to get limited minutes against Kentucky, does not figure to bump up its scoring. The public is catching up to Kentucky, which has covered in five consecutive games, with a sizable spread here versus a grinding foe. But the favored Wildcats wield enough offensive firepower to beat the line.