The Texas A&M Aggies won't leave Reed Arena again until the beginning of SEC play in January. Their four-game home stand starts with what could be a tricky game against the Kansas State Wildcats, a club sporting a perfect 5-0 ATS record coming into this week.
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HOW THE KANSAS STATE WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Wildcats are undefeated from an ATS standpoint for a reason this year. They're playing incredibly nasty defense in big spots, allowing more than 72 points just once, that coming against one of the best offensive teams in the land, North Carolina.
Kansas State is small for sure, knowing that it doesn't use a single player in the lineup taller than 6-foot-8, but it embraces that lack of size and uses its speed to really cause problems.
Justin Edwards, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade are all averaging at least a steal per game, though it should be noted that this entire team loves to pressure the basketball. The end result is a lot of fouls and a lot of free throws conceded, but turnovers are vital in games like these on the road, and the Aggies could find themselves in a real fight if they don't take care of the rock.
HOW THE TEXAS A&M AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Texas A&M had a history of getting off to great starts in games, but against Arizona State on Saturday, that just wasn't the case. The Aggies put just 19 on the board in the first half against a team which isn't known for its defense so much. That obviously won't cut it in this game.
Staying out of foul trouble will also help. Four different players ended up with four fouls against ASU.
That said, there's a clear path to a victory and a cover for the Aggies, and it starts on the glass. They're averaging 11.1 more rebounds per game than their foes this year, and that's largely due to the fact that five of their top six players are at least 6-foot-7. We're not all that sure how Kansas State is going to matchup with Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davis, knowing that it is going to be giving up at least three inches in both matchups no matter who is on the court.
The ball has to get worked to the inside on the low block. Even the guards for the Aggies have a severe height advantage, and they need to take advantage of that to cover this game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Aggies should get back on track on Saturday night at Reed Arena. We can't imagine they're only going to score so little in the first half of this game, and they should be alright as long as they don't fall into the same trap of fouling too much that cost them against Arizona State.
We suspect that Jalen Jones and Danuel House will have much better games than they had against the Sun Devils, as both will have big advantages in terms of height and athleticism. If this game was in Manhattan, we'd have different thoughts, but the Wildcats aren't ready to go on the road and challenge a Top 25 team just yet.
Texas A&M 70, Kansas State 59
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