NCAA Basketball: Preview of the 2018-19 Big 12/SEC Challenge

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 21: K.J. Lawson #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks controls the ball as Talen Horton-Tucker #11 and Nick Weiler-Babb #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones defend during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 21, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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MANHATTAN, KS – NOVEMBER 24: Dean Wade #32 of the Kansas State Wildcats drives in for a basket against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks during the second half on November 24, 2018 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

Kansas State vs Texas A&M

In a series of really closely contested games, I don’t expect Texas A&M to put up much of a fight against Kansas State.

Forget about going on the road, the Kansas State Wildcats are red hot, and everything is going their way.

Their leader on offense and defense, Dean Wade, is back from an injury. Barry Brown Jr is playing as good as ever, and the Wildcats are looking every bit like the ranked team that they started the season as.

Meanwhile, this Texas A&M team is a shell of last year’s Sweet Sixteen team. Robert Williams is gone, and it really shows. The Aggies are not a good defensive team or a rebounding team for that matter, two things that Kansas State does well, and now does even better with Wade back.

Texas A&M had a series of bad losses in non-conference play, and hasn’t even come close to picking it up once conference play started. Besides an exciting win over Alabama last week, the Aggies have had an atrocious season.

Texas A&M’s meteoric fall from the Sweet Sixteen has been a fairly undercovered story. While Texas A&M did lose some major players, this team hasn’t been good at all, and doesn’t have what it takes to keep up with Kansas State.

Texas A&M is still competitive, but at 7-10, they are no match for the Kansas State Wildcats. This is a given, and should be done fairly quick. Kansas State by a ton.

Prediction: Kansas State 70, Texas A&M 47

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