Iowa State vs Kansas State injury report and predictions, March 9: Latest on Kayden Fish, Ques Glover and more

The No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones (24-6, 13-4 Big 12) will close out their regular season on the road against the Kansas State Wildcats (17-13, 7-10 Big 12) on Saturday. The conference matchup tips off at 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2 from the Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS.

Iowa State has won eight of its last nine games, including the last four. It comes into the contest off a 68-63 victory over No. 20 BYU on Wednesday night. The Kansas State Wildcats, meanwhile, have lost their last two games, against Cincinnati and No. 14 Kansas. They've had a difficult time closing out their season, going 3-9 in their previous 12 games.

Both teams enter this game with key players healthy and ready to go, but there are some injuries and redshirts they have had to deal with this season. Here's the latest on the players who will be unable to suit up for tonight's game.

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Iowa State vs. Kansas State injuries

JT Rock, Iowa State

The freshman center has elected to redshirt his first year at Iowa State due to the depth of the team. Thw decision is to benefit his long-term development and maximize his development in his collegiate career.

Jelani Hamilton, Iowa State

The freshman guard has also redshirted his first season and will not play this season as a result. Like fellow freshman JT Rock, Hamilton will redshirt his freshman season to invest in his long-term future in college basketball.

Kayden Fish, Iowa State

Freshman forward Kayden Fish will miss the remainder of the season for Iowa State after undergoing surgery for a left shoulder injury. He had surgery on Dec. 26, 2023, and will focus on his return for the start of next season.

Fish played four games this season for the Cyclones and averaged 1.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists.

Ques Glover, Kansas State

After transferring to KSU from Samford, senior guard Ques Glover finds himself out for the season after suffering a knee injury in an exhibition game before the start of the Wildcats' season.

The injury was originally expected to keep Glover sidelined for 6-8 weeks, which would have seen Glover make his debut in January, but a reaggrivation of his knee injury would bring an end to his season.

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Iowa State vs. Kansas State prediction

This game will be the regular season finale for both teams, with the Big 12 tournament right around the corner. Iowa State will hve high hopes heading into the conference tournament and March Madness, sitting in second place in the Big 12.

Iowa State had a 78-67 victory the last time the two teams met at Hilton Coliseum on Jan. 24. Milan Momcilovic, Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones combined for 52 of the Cylcones' 78 points.

The freshman Momcilovic has been a pleasant surprise for Iowa State this season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists, often drawing comparisons with Dirk Nowitzki in terms of his play style. Junior guard and UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert is the Cylcone's leading scorer this season, averaging 13.6 points with 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Kansas State, meanwhile, received a team-high 16 points from junior forward Arthur Kaluma and 12 points from junior guard Cam Carter in the last matchup with Iowa State.

They will look for a better performance this time from their leading scorer, Tylor Perry, who finished with just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Perry leads the team in points and assists this season, averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 assists. It's likely that Kansas State will miss out on the NCAA Tournament this season, as they sit in 12th place in the Big 12 standings with just this game remaining on their schedule.

Iowa State is just 3.5-point favorites for the contest, and Kansas State should give the Cyclones all they can handle. Iowa State is one of the top defensive teams in the country and will make it tough for KSU to score.

The Wildcats will need to counter the Cyclones' stifling defense with a strong defensive effort to register an upset. However, Iowa State has been on a roll late in the season and shows no signs of slowing down.

For that reason, they should finish their regular season on a positive note and leave KSU with a victory.

Prediction: #6 ISU 74-68 KSU