Kansas vs. Tennessee State: College basketball preview, TV schedule

The Kansas Jayhawks will get their 2017-18 season started on Friday night, but do the Tennessee State Tigers even put up a fight against the No. 4 team in the country?

TV Schedule: Friday, Nov. 10, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arena: Allen Field House, Lawrence, Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks are a consensus top-five team in college basketball, but the national hype around this team makes it feel as if they are somewhere in the 15-20 range.

Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Duke are rightfully ranked ahead (or slightly behind in Kentucky’s case) of this team in some preseason rankings, but I think it is foolish to distance Kansas from the rest of the pack, when this could be one of the most top-to-bottom solid Kansas teams for some time.

The Jayhawks are almost suffering from being “too good.” Everyone is picking them to win the Big 12, everyone is picking them to likely be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it feels like no one is picking the Jayhawks to win it all.

This is a mistake.

Devonte’ Graham is one of the best players in college basketball, and this Kansas roster feels more like a Villanova “everyone on this team could start at another school” roster than a “here are our stars try and stop them” roster. If Graham has a bad night, someone else is going to step up and win the game for the Jayhawks.

In fact, if Kansas beats Kentucky on Nov. 5, then they will likely go undefeated at least until they play West Virginia on the road on January 15 – January! And they still might win then.

Tennessee State, on the other hand, is a physical, athletic team that can push the tempo offensively. While they do not boast the talent of some of the Tigers’ teams of the past, they are picked to finish seventh in a crowded OVC and could find enough wins to finish in the top five.

That being said, the Tigers do not stand a chance against this far superior Kansas team, and I think they get dominated, as Kansas shows its muscle.

Next: 2017-18 Kansas season preview

To sleep on Kansas is always a mistake, and I think, even at No. 4, most of us are sleeping on how good this team really can be.

Prediction: Kansas 88, Tennessee State 64