MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball is all set to grace its home court for the fourth consecutive time to kick off the season at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The stage is set at Bramlage Coliseum as they prepare to take on Mississippi Valley State. This is a crucial moment for the Wildcats as they aim to get back on track after a disappointing 76-65 loss to LSU at home last Thursday. The opponent, Mississippi Valley State (1-3), has endured a brutal early road schedule with lopsided losses at Iowa State (83-44), Missouri (111-39), and most recently at Texas (89-43) on Saturday.

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K-State found themselves trailing LSU by 12 points at halftime and couldn't get closer than nine points for the rest of the game. Coach Jerome Tang emphasized the need to focus on rebounding and transition defense during practice, as LSU dominated on the boards, 43-25, and had a 12-6 advantage in fast break points.

Key Players on Kansas State

Graduate forward David N’Guessan is leading K-State in scoring with an impressive 16.3 points per game and also contributes 7.7 rebounds. Brendan Hausen adds 15.7 points to the mix, Max Jones chips in 10.7 points, and Dug McDaniel contributes 9.3 points along with a team-high 5.7 assists.

Standout Player for Mississippi Valley State

Forward Alvin Stredic leads Mississippi Valley State with 10 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Kansas State Basketball Prediction

With three other Power Four teams having had their way with Mississippi Valley State at home, there is no reason to expect a different outcome this time. Especially considering K-State's motivation to bounce back after a poor showing against LSU last week. The prediction is that Kansas State will emerge victorious with a score of 90-50.

Kansas State Betting Odds

As of Tuesday afternoon, the game lines and odds from BetMGM are as follows:Spread: Kansas State -39.5Over/under: 135.5 pointsWe occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.Arne Green, based in Salina, covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.