NCAAB Rivalry: #5 Kansas St @ #2 Kansas

One of the most under-rated rivalries in college basketball takes place Wednesday night as the 2nd ranked Kansas Jayhawks host the Kansas St. Wildcats. The emergence of the Wildcats over the past few years has really put the edge back into this rivalry. Earlier this season, these 2 teams battled for 4o minutes and overtime as the Jayhawks squeaked out an 81-79 victory at Kansas St. With the Wildcats needing to win out to have any chance of taking the Big-12 title, and the Jayhawks looking to redeem themselves after an embarrassing 10 point loss to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, expect another hard fought battle that is decided in the last minute.

The Big-12 conference may have 5 teams currently ranked in the top-25, but is top heavy and is not considered one of the top 3 conferences in the country. There is a huge disparity between the best and worst teams in the standings which is why there are 7 teams with 20+ wins. Texas has proven to be a fraud after their terrific start, while Baylor and Texas A&M are average at best. The Big-12 will have a tough go of it in the NCAA tournament due to the defensive style of play that is required to make a deep run. Kansas may have the best chance to go far as they allow just under 64 points per game.

The Jayhawks are led by point guard Sherron Collins. Collins is having his best season with a 15 point and 4 assist per game average. As a whole, the Jayhawk starting 5 is as solid as any in the country. Guard Xavier Henry, and forwards Marcus Moore and Markieff Morris play their roles extremely well. Center Cole Aldrich is a 6’11” shot blocker that makes it difficult for opposing offenses to penetrate the lane and score easy buckets. His numbers are down slightly this season due to a decrease in minutes, but he is still averaging a double-double and almost 4 blocks per game.

Kansas St hasn’t missed a beat over the last couple seasons after losing their superstar Michael Beasley to the NBA. They have only 4 losses this season, and they’re all to tournament caliber teams (Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma St, Kansas). This team likes to run as their top 2 scores are guards. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente average 34 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game. Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly control the boards from the forward position as well as they should be expected to, but the Wildcats still lack size. They have allowed over 70 points in all four of their losses mainly due to losing the rebounding battle. It will take a ton of offense for this squad to get to the elite-8 or final-4 of the NCAA tournament.

This should be a hard fought game as both teams are in need of a win for different reasons. Anticipate a much lower scoring game than their first meeting due to the fact that there is so much at stake.

Related posts:

1. NCAAB Big-12 Showdown: Kansas St Wildcats vs. Baylor Bears
2. Kansas looks to Wrap Up Big-12 Title vs. Oklahoma
3. Kansas St and Butler Fight for Spot in Final Four
4. NCAAB SEC Showdown: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
5. Kentucky Looks for Revenge Against S. Carolina

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