Kansas State Basketball: 2018-19 keys for the Wildcats to win at Baylor
3. Shut down Baylor guard Makai Mason on defense
The Baylor Bears’ top scorer, graduate transfer Makai Mason has been coming through in big ways during Baylor’s hot streak.
Mason dropped 40 points in a win against TCU on Saturday, hitting nine threes. While Mason didn’t put together a very good game in Baylor’s loss to Texas, Mason posses a massive threat to the Wildcats, as Baylor’s clear top scorer, and prime ball handler.
Mason will look to get going early on offense, in an effort to set the tone at home in a game with this type of magnitude. However, if Kansas State can nullify Mason on defense, gaining that momentum gets a whole lot harder for Baylor.
If Barry Brown, who will likely be tasked with the difficult role of being the primary defender on Mason, can make life extremely difficult for him, I don’t see Baylor winning this game. Mason’s explosiveness and shooting stroke make him a huge threat to initiate big scoring runs, but if Brown can limit his shooting, Baylor won’t have an easy time on offense.
On a banged-up Baylor team, Mason has carried a lot of the load. If he can be shut down completely, the Wildcats will have an easy win in a not-so-easy environment.
Next. Big 12 Power Rankings. dark
Kansas State has miraculously came all the way back from their early season slump, holding a tie for first place in the Big 12. They’ll be tasked with a big test on Saturday night, but if they can come out on top, they might as well be the new favorite to win the Big 12.