Previewing Kansas State

On Thanksgiving night the Patriots will most likely face their toughest regular season opponent, Kansas State in the Old Spice Classic on ESPN2. The wildcats boast a young but powerful and high octane lineup which includes Michael Beasley; who so far seems to have the makings of the next Kevin Durant. Despite it still being very early in the season, Beasley seems to arguably be the best player in college basketball right now as he is averaging 30 points and 20 rebounds through his first 3 games (and no that's not a typo). I don't care who he was playing, those are ridiculous numbers. Beasley and his fellow top 2007 recruit Bill Walker create serious mismatches for the Patriots. Both will have more size and athleticism than anyone who will be guarding them tomorrow night. Even if Monroe was in the lineup, Mason would still be greatly out-manned in the lost post. What will Mason have to do to upset the wildcats?

Kansas State brings a lot of athleticism and speed to the floor but their guard play and lack of a strong long range shooter could open the door for the Patriots. They are a young team and have played sloppy and inconsistent in their three games this season. They barely got by Division II Pittsburgh State allowing them to go on a 15-0 run in the second half and needed Beasley to explode late in the game to beat Western Illinois. If Mason can play their historically tough defense and keep the game low scoring the wildcats could be forced to play a type of game they are not used to. The wildcats want a fast paced up and down the court game, a game in which Beasley and Walker will dominate. Mason will have to rely good three point shooting and getting to the foul line, like they did against Dayton. Will Thomas will have his hands full all night and mostly won't be able to carry the team like he's been doing. That being said Louis Birdsong and Chris Fleming are going to have to show up and help out Thomas in a low blocks. Guard play will be very important for Mason to pull off this upset, another strong night from Folarin Campbell and Jordan Carter is imperative. Let's hope Mason can play their game and pull this one off and not make their fans hope that the ESPN2 audience passed out during the second half due to turkey and wine.