Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions: New Mexico State

The Kansas Jayhawks travel to the fairly friendly confines of Sprint Center in Kansas City for a pre-holiday matchup against the New Mexico State Aggies. Fresh off the loss of Udoka Azubuike to injury, can KU overcome a letdown in KC?

dnoll5: Which one is the traditionally good one, New Mexico or New Mexico State? It probably doesn’t matter. With Wofford unable to adapt to Dok being out of the lineup and KU going smaller, it will be interesting to see what a team does when they know what to expect, but I don’t think it will matter in this one. Kansas 81, NMSU 65.

Kyle_Davis21: This will be an interesting first matchup without Dok, as New Mexico State is a good offensive rebounding team, pretty efficient from two-point range, and one of its best players is 6-8, 240. All that being said, I Kansas has enough offensively to keep this out of reach. NMSU doesn’t shoot the three ball well (32%) and is allowing opponents to shoot 39%, so maybe this is the game KU’s outside shot gets out of a funk. Kansas 84, NMSU 72

Fizzle406: It will be interesting to see how KU does with the 4 guard line up now that Dok is out. I think this team could really thrive with that type of play. I think the KU athleticism will give NMSU trouble. KU 81, NMSU 69

Mike.Plank: Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Wake me in January. Kansas 85, the next noncon opponent 68.

Grad: I was all like “wow NMSU just KILLED New Mexico” and then I realized Steve Alford left New Mexico a few years ago and they’re not good anymore. Given this game is in the Sprint Center, you can guarantee KU won’t win by more than 15. I think KU isn’t seriously threatened, but also doesn’t blow them out. Kansas 84, New Mexico 71.

Andy Mitts: As I said on the podcast (and fizzle said above), the loss of Azubuike might actually help this team, opening more space for guards to drive and Lawson to work down low. Kansas let’s the Aggies hang around for too long, but puts them away with a big run early in the 2nd half. Kansas 87, NMSU 69.