NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 2021 Big 12/SEC Challenge matchups
10. Iowa State and Mississippi State
Of all of the matchups, this is the one with the best chance of neither team making the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Iowa State already is fighting to get out of the Big 12 basement and won’t have Tyrese Haliburton around. Meanwhile, Mississippi State loses its four best players from last season, including star forward Reggie Perry and guards Tyson Carter and Robert Woodard.
This game likely will come down to a battle of lead guards (Rasir Bolton vs DJ Stewart, along with a supporting cast on both sides filled with transfers. The Cyclones are hoping that top-100 center Xavier Foster and Solomon Young will give them an edge over a Bulldogs team with very little depth at the moment.
Prediction: Iowa State
9. Texas A&M at Kansas State
The Wildcats are in a major rebuilding effort, having lost just about every major contributor from last season. Sophomore Dajuan Gordon and his efforts will be interesting to watch but barring the freshmen class having a giant impact, there will be a clear gap between Kansas State and the rest of the Big 12.
That leaves the Aggies, who’ll have at least four seniors in the starting lineup, with a projected lose-lose situation. This win likely won’t mean much but a loss at Kansas State would be awful for their resume. With senior guards JJ Chandler and Savion Flagg leading the way, they should have the maturity to not make this one even close, let alone be on upset alert.