By Pete Fiutak | March 17, 2017 10:10 am CT

Kansas State (21-13) vs. Cincinnati (29-5) Prediction & Game Preview

NCAA Tournament: Kansas State vs. Cincinnati fearless prediction and game preview.

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– CFN March Madness Schedule & Fearless Predictions

Broadcast

Date: Friday, March 17
Game Time: 7:27 ET
Venue: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Network: truTV

All You Really Need To Know About Cincinnati

(American Athletic) RPI: 12, 5 seed

Slowwwwww it down. The Bearcats play a suffocating defense, finishing fifth in the nation in points allowed giving up just 61 a game. They shut down team after team, going on a fantastic midseason run winning 15 straight games, eventually losing to a terrific SMU team in the American Athletic Tournament final.

They can’t really hit from three, they can’t hit free throws, and they don’t have a high-powered attack in any sort of a shootout, but that killer defense triggers everything else. They move the ball extremely well and attack the boards hard.

All You Really Need To Know About Kansas State

(Big 12), RPI: 57, 11 seed

The Wildcats got off the bubble and into the tournament – the big one – after dispensing of Wake Forest in the First Four play-in game. Hot, they kept rolling after a good Big 12 Tournament appearance to crank up the O in a 95-88 win – but that’s not Kansas State. This is usually a low-scoring, battling team that forces mistakes, but that changed in Dayton.

They outrebounded Wake Forest 29-21, and shockingly was great on the free throw line, hitting 27-of-36 tries and nailing the key ones down the stretch.

What’s Going To Happen

Kansas State lives on forcing mistakes, but Cincinnati is 13th in the nation in turnover margin. Can the Wildcats shoot their way out of trouble against the nasty Bearcat D? No.

This should be more to K-State’s pace than the Wake Forest game was, but the Bearcats should be able to hit the boards just well enough – and make fewer mistakes – to get by a low-scoring, tight battle.