Utah State Aggies @ Kansas State Wildcats NCAA Basketball Pick

Utah State Aggies @ Kansas State Wildcats NCAA Basketball Pick: There are lots of reasons to love the Aggies here, and one is because they are a very good basketball team. Not that Kansas State isn’t good, but this seems like a tough match-up for the offensively challenged Wildcats.

Utah State has the 3rd ranked defense in the Nation, and they make that happen with a pretty efficient offense, shooting 47% from the floor and scoring 72.2 points per contest. They can put the ball in the hoop, and they can stop their opponents from doing the same. Good combo.

The reason their defensive ability is so important is because obviously they don’t give up any free baskets with success like that. That means they rebound well and have good team concepts. Kansas State really struggles offensively, not in terms of actually scoring, but in regards to how they do it. It never looks easy. They force a lot of shots, and going up against a good defense could really bring that problem to the forefront.

I love Jacob Pullen, and this Kansas State team even has a chance to do some damage in this tournament – but it’s a tough draw for them. Not only is Utah State good (30-3, ranked in the Top 20) but defensively they could really give the Wildcats trouble.

I’ll take the underdog in this one.

(12) Utah State Aggies (+2.5) @ (5) Kansas State Wildcats (3/17) (truTV)