The Week Ahead in Kansas State Men’s Basketball

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State has two games this week, its final non-conference opponent, and then a powerful Big 12 opponent featuring one of the nation’s best players.

K-State fans get a chance to see BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa on Jan. 3 at Bramlage Coliseum. Dybansta is considered a possible No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Of course, Kansas State has a possible All-America player of its own in guard P.J. Haggerty. This should be quite a matchup — even though they play different positions — and K-State should get a read on where it stands against one of the Big 12 and national powerhouses.

“I'm very excited,” Haggerty said about the Big 12 schedule beginning.

Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty scores against Creighton during the first half at CHI Health Center in Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

“You know, they say the Big 12 is one of the best basketball conferences in college. So just being able to go out there, my coaches, my brothers on the court, just achieve some goals.”

Dybantsa, who went to Utah Prep, is a 6-foot-9 freshman from Brockton, Mass., who averages 23.1 points per game, 19.7 in road games. He also averages 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals.

He already has won a Lute Olson National Player of the Week award. He was considered the No. 1 prep recruit in the nation last season. As a freshman, he was the Massachusetts boys’ player of the year.

Behind Dybantsa, BYU is 11-1 and ranked 10th in the AP Top 25 Poll. And for Kansas State (8-4), it’s a game to get a true sense of where it stands against a worthy and dangerous opponent.

Dybantsa is coming off his first college triple-double — a 33-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound game in a 109-81 victory over Eastern Washington. In watching Dybantsa’s highlights, you see a complete player who shoots from the outside, goes inside with purpose and unselfishly looks for his teammates.

BYU is listed as a 3-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology that projects the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68. Joe Lunardi, the creator of Bracketology, predicts BYU will play 14-seed Hawaii in the first round with the winner to play the winner of the Virginia (6) vs. Belmont (11) game.

Kansas State did not get a mention in this week’s Bracketology.

But first, Louisiana Monroe

First up is Sunday’s game against Louisiana Monroe a 3-10 team from the Sun Belt Conference that has lost four out of its last five games. ULM’s win are over Rust, Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas Baptist.

K-State has won three consecutive games and among its victories are: California, Tulsa (handing the Golden Hurricane their only loss), Mississippi State and Creighton.

Possible key stat: K-State forces 13.17 turnovers per game, 145th in the nation (out of 365 teams). ULM averages 13.46 turnovers (283rd in the nation).

ULM has struggled on offense, with low national rankings:

* Points scored: 73.15, ranked 282
* Field goal percentage: 42.01, ranked 318
* Three point percentage: 33.44, ranked 209
* Free throw percentage: 72.79, ranked 146
* Total rebounds: 33.54, ranked 296

ULM is particularly weak on the offensive glass, averaging 9.0 boards per game, ranked 335. K-State ranks 100th in rebounds with 32.83 per game.

The numbers and resumes indicate a strong possibility of a K-State victory.

Who: Kansas State vs. Louisiana Monroe
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. CT
Where: Bramlage Coliseum
Records: Kansas State, 8-4; Louisiana Monroe, 3-10
TV: ESPN+

ULM rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 345
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 325
* ESPN Power Index: 328 (an improvement of 12 places from last week)
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 328

K-State rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 53
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 58
* ESPN Power Index: 51 (an improvement of five places from last week)
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 50

K-State-ULM analysis

The Wildcats shouldn’t have any problem with the Warhawks, who have a cool nickname but aren't on the same level with a Big 12 team. Every Big 12 team has a winning record, as of Dec. 27.

Who: Kansas State vs. BYU
When: Saturday, Jan. 3, 12.30 p.m. CT
Where: Bramlage Coliseum
Records: Kansas State, 8-4; BYU, 11-1
TV: CBS

BYU rankings

* Associated Press Top 25: 10
* NCAA Net Ratings: 9
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 10
* Top 25 and 1: 5
* Team Rankings.com: 11

K-State rankings

K-State-BYU analysis

If K-State can’t contain Dybantsa, or even slow him down, that could mean a long afternoon for the Wildcats. Same goes for the Cougars if they can’t stop Haggerty. BYU seems to have the stronger team but the big test will be how it handles K-State’s home crowd. This game has 91-88 potential, with either Dybantsa or Haggerty deciding the outcome.

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