Wildcats and Aggies look to state their case
Two trendy selections in a lot of March Madness office tournament pools meet in Tucson Thursday night as the Kansas State Wildcats play the Utah State Aggies in a Southeast second round contest.
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#5 Kansas State (22-10, 10-6 Big 12) vs. #12 Utah State (30-3, 15-1 WAC)
Date/Time: Thursday, March 17, 9:57 PM ET
Venue: McKale Center in Tucson, AZ.
Broadcast: TruTV
Money Line: Kansas State -130, Utah State +110
Spread: Kansas State -2
Over/Under: 129
The Wildcats are in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and for the third time in four years. They are hoping to improve upon last year’s performance, which saw them reach the Elite Eight before losing to Butler. Kansas State is looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1964.
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They are one of the more intense teams in the country, matching the public vibe given off by their talented young head coach Frank Martin. The Wildcats defeated Gonzaga, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas when the Jayhawks were the number one team in the country. They also earned quality losses against Duke, Florida, and UNLV out of conference.
The Aggies won 30 games this season and are the lone representative from the Western Athletic Conference. This is their third consecutive appearance, and since 1998 they have qualified for the tournament nine times. However, they’d like to snap a six-game tournament losing streak in the big dance – their lone victory since 1998 came in the first round in 2001 against Ohio State.
If the Aggies are going to pull off an upset victory, they will need a big performance from Tai Wesley. The 6’7” senior forward from Provo led Utah State in scoring (14.7 PPG), rebounding (8.0 RPG), blocked shots (1.1 BPG), and shot a team-best 59.5 percent from the field. Wesley was recently named the 2011 WAC Player of the Year.
For the Wildcats, Martin will rely on the scoring abilities of Jacob Pullen. The senior guard finished second in the conference in scoring at 19.5 points per contest. Pullen can stroke the three-pointer at a 37.0 percent clip as well. Rodney McGruder (11.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG) will likely draw the defensive assignment against Wesley.
The odds makers have the Kansas State Wildcats as a -2 point favorite with an over/under of 129.
Check out the latest College Basketball Odds here.
Prediction: The Aggies have shown a propensity for the close game, having not been blown out all season long. They’ll need every ounce of energy to overcome the Wildcats ball movement skills.
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Kansas State Wildcats Betting Trends:
- Kansas State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas State’s last 7 games
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