Even on paper before this season, this looked like an odd match-up. K-State was coming off at Elite Eight run and ranked in the Top 15 in presesaon polls, and while Texas A&M was coming off their own Sweet 16 run, they had just lost four three players off that team to the professional ranks, including star forward Robert Williams.
A better match-up for preseason rankings might have been Auburn, slotted with the Cats in the preseason. Or perhaps Mississippi State, or even (and thank goodness this didn’t happen) Tennessee. The SEC and Big 12 could have had another ranked match-up this weekend, and instead K-State, sitting at 15-4 (5-2) and tied for first in the Big 12, will face off with Texas A&M, who is just 7-10 on the season, and sitting in a tie for 12th in the SEC at 1-5.