Huge Sunflower Showdown Tonight
Tonight the Kansas Jayhawks travel to Manhattan to face their in-state rival, the Kansas State Wildcats. The Jayhawks will look to bounce back after losing a rare game at home against Iowa State. (Don't worry KU fans, Self still has more conference titles than he does losses at Allen Fieldhouse.) However, KU is not the only one looking to bounce back. K-State felt that they were robbed when the two teams met in Lawrence for the 1st meeting of the season. K-State lost the game to a buzzer beating layup by Kansas guard Svi Mykhailiuk. After showing the game winning replay, many people instantly noticed that Mykhailiuk may have gotten away with a travel, however that is not something that could be reviewed or changed by the referees.
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Kansas State is coming off of a huge win against the Baylor Bears at Waco. This Wildcat team dominated early, and was able to hold on to a narrow victory. Beating a top ranked team will surely give the Wildcats motivation that it can be done again tonight. This team has proven that they can hang and compete with the top teams of this conference. The last game between KU and KSU was a thriller and KSU will look to make another impact on the conference again tonight.
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As stated earlier, the Jayhawks look to bounce back after having a tough home loss to the Cyclones on Saturday. While Jayhawk fans felt upset about this loss, there are a few positives that cannot be overlooked. Josh Jackson is getting better each and every game. He may not score more each game, but he is attacking the basketball, rebounding and seems to be getting his touch from beyond the arc. That's not the only thing to be excited about. Frank Mason, (who is a finalist for PG of the year) dropped a career high 32 points against Iowa State. He was seemingly perfect from the floor and free throw line until late in the second half. Truly an outstanding game he had.
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On a side note, the Jayhawks will have Carlton Bragg back on the bench for tonight's game. Bragg was suspended indefinitely by Coach Bill Self after having possession of drug paraphernalia. Bragg agreed to a diversion last week but was still out for the Jayhawks game against Iowa State. It was noted last night that Bragg was able to travel with the team, but a decision on whether he would play or not had yet to be made. It was announced earlier today that he would be suited up and available to play.
With all that being said, it's time for my prediction. It's going to be a very physical game and you could even say that emotions are going to be high. Just like I've said a million times this season, it will come down to rebounding. If the Jayhawks cannot crash the boards than I think we see that momentum continue for the Wildcats. However, if KU's guards have another great game and limit the turnovers I think they can quiet the crowd and take KSU out of this game. My final prediction for tonight's game is KU over K-State in another close game and no, I don't think it will be due to a missed travel call.
