Cal State Northridge Matadors vs Kansas State Wildcats Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 1

Both teams are 0-1 and stung by close losses. CSUN pushed Wichita State on the road, and Kansas State fell at home, setting up a bounce-back spot in Manhattan with real urgency on both sides.

The Matchup

Cal State Northridge is 0-1, but its loss came with evidence attached. The Matadors went to Wichita State and lost 79-67 in a game where Mikah Ballew scored 17 points with 5 rebounds, Josiah Davis added 15 points and 6 assists, and Keziah Ekissi scored 11 while making all 3 of his three-point tries. CSUN competed on the road against a solid home team, and its lead guard ran the offense with real poise.

Kansas State is also 0-1 after a 68-66 home loss to South Dakota State that the Wildcats will want back. Pape N'Diaye was a bright spot with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Isaiah Abraham scored 16 on efficient shooting, and Brandon Rechsteiner added 16 points and 7 rebounds. The talent is there. The finishing, in the opener, was not.

CSUN averaged 81.4 points per game last season while allowing 79.8, a high-scoring team that played in shootouts weekly. Kansas State averaged 79.6 and allowed 81.8 last season, giving up more than it scored, and then lost its opener at home as a favorite. The total of 160.5 tells the story of this matchup: points are coming from both sides, and in a high-scoring game a near-double-digit spread is hard to protect.

Key Factors

The first factor is Davis running CSUN's offense. His 6 assists at Wichita State came with the Matadors under constant pressure, and a point guard who takes care of possessions keeps his team in games at tough venues. Bramlage Coliseum will test him again, but he just passed a similar test on the road.

The second factor is Kansas State's frontcourt edge. N'Diaye's 18 points and 8 rebounds against South Dakota State show the Wildcats can score inside, and Abraham's efficiency gives them a second option the Matadors have to respect. If Kansas State owns the paint and the glass, it can build the kind of lead that covers this number.

The counterpoint is that Kansas State should be desperate, and desperate home teams often play their best game of the young season. The Wildcats lost at home to a team they expected to beat, their crowd knows it, and a fast start could snowball against a CSUN team playing its second straight road game. The Matadors' case is that they score too reliably, in too many ways, to be blown out by a team still searching for its own footing. In a game priced for points, take the side getting double digits.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.