Kansas State 17-13 (7-10) 

K-State looked lost in Allen Fieldhouse against the Jayhawks Tuesday night. Kansas showed no mercy against its state rival, dominating in a 90-68 victory. The Wildcats’ leading scorers, guards Tylor Perry and Cam Carter combined for only five points. Jayhawk center Hunter Dickinson dominated with 20 boards, and 21 Kansas points came off fast breaks. The inconsistent shooting and sloppy basketball must be fixed if K-State wants a senior night victory. 

No. 6 Iowa State 24-6 (13-4) 

The Cyclones have had a very impressive season, coming into this game ranked sixth in the nation. Iowa State’s previous game, against BYU, saw the Cyclones overcome a 14-point deficit in the second half with elite 3-point scoring and strong defense — BYU went scoreless in the final four minutes. Iowa State won the first Farmageddon 78-67 and can again by just playing its game.

Matchup to Watch: Cyclones’ many scoring threats vs. Wildcats’ rebounding

The Farmageddon rematch will conclude K-State’s up-and-down season, as Iowa State will look to win the season series 2-0. This seems very possible for the Cyclones, as they are ranked sixth in the nation and have scoring threats all over the court. 

Iowa State possesses six players averaging eight or more points. The Cyclones also have five players with a 3-point percentage of 33 or more. The leading scorer, guard Keshon Gilbert, averages 13.6 points per game. Gilbert had a rough showing against BYU and will most likely look to bounce back versus K-State. Second in scoring, fellow guard Tamin Lipsey averages 12.5 points per game. While Gilbert struggled, Lipsey was electric against BYU, finishing with 19 points. Lipsey also excels on defense, averaging 2.8 steals per game.

One thing on the stat sheet the Cyclones struggle with is rebounding. Iowa State doesn’t have someone to consistently bring down boards.K-State, however, has three players who can do it efficiently, despite its Sunflower Showdown performance. Forward Arthur Kaluma is one of K-State’s best scorers, but is also a very solid rebounder, averaging 7.1 a game. Forward David N’Guessan averages 6.6 and center Will McNair Jr. averages 5.4 a game. Carter’s five boards per game gives the Wildcats their fourth player averaging more or nearly more rebounds than Cyclone’s leader, forward Tre King, at 5.1. If K-State can expose this thoroughly, second-chance points may create an upset.

Key Players 

K-State 

Forward David N’Guessan 

Center Will McNair Jr. 

Iowa State

Guard Keshon Gilbert 

Guard Tamin Lipsey 

Prediction: Iowa State 77-70