Preview: Kansas basketball set to play in its biggest game of season
By Logan Fricks
Kansas basketball to be put to the test against Kansas State:
Following a demoralizing loss to the hands of the Red Raiders, Kansas basketball will have one more opportunity to keep itself alive in the Big 12 title race. The No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats will travel to Lawrence to face off with the No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks will be put to a tough task, especially after losing to Texas Tech by 31-points on Saturday. The Wildcats currently sit at the top of the Big 12 rankings with Kansas trailing by two games.
If the Jayhawks have any hope of winning the Big 12, Monday’s match up is a must-win.
Junior forward Dedric Lawson is currently leading the conference in scoring and for Kansas to win, he will need to assert his dominance. Lawson is not a physical player, nor an athletic one, but he may have the best basketball IQ on the Kansas roster.
Lately, Lawson has struggled, scoring 14 points in three straight outings while shooting only 34.7% from the field. For Kansas to win, Lawson will need to return to the player who is averages nearly 20 points and 20 rebounds, all while shooting over 50% from the field.
Lawson will be put to the test against Wildcat Dean Wade. Wade has faced injuries this season, holding him back from his best-self, but he is still one of the top scorers in the conference.
Wade averages 13 points a game and is also a presence on the boards, grabbing about six rebounds a game. Without Wade, Kansas State is a struggling team that relies on its point guard to do all the scoring, but with Wade, it is one of the top defenses in the conference and can take over a game with second chance points.
The Wildcats’ point guard, Barry Brown, will also be a force as he is the fourth highest scorer in the conference at 15.7 points a game.
The Jayhawks need other scoring outside of Lawson to keep up with both Brown and Wade. The freshmen will be key for Kansas, guards Ochai Agbaji and Devon Dotson will need to play like they were prior to the Texas Tech loss.
The biggest player to watch for the Jayhawks, however, is sophomore guard Marcus Garrett, who returned from injury against Texas Tech. Garrett was establishing himself as a solid scorer prior to his injury and if he can get back to that form, the Jayhawks will boast four players who can consistently score double digit points.
The last time both teams met, Kansas State walked away with a 74-67 victory in Bramlage. In Allen Fieldhouse however, Kansas has won 19 straight games and on Big Monday, the Jayhawks are undefeated at home.
The Jayhawks need a victory if they want to win 15-straight conference titles but a loss would essentially eliminate them from the race altogether.
Kansas State comes to Allen Fieldhouse to tip-off with the Jayhawks at 8 P.M.