Iowa State and Kansas State will compete in meeting No. 244 of the men’s basketball Farmaggedon rivalry.
No. 8 Iowa State (19-2, 6-2 Big 12) enters the matchup in Manhattan as a heavy favorite with 84% victory probability per ESPN analytics.
Kansas State (10-11, 1-7 Big 12) has just one victory in Big 12 play this season, an 81-78 defeat of the Utah Utes.
While struggling, the Wildcats have found themselves in close games. Four out of their last five games have been decided by less than 10 points.
The Cyclones haven’t been in close games as of late, winning their last three games by more than 10 points.
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Sunday on FOX from Bramlage Coliseum.
History of Farmaggedon
1909 was the first time the two programs met, with K-State emerging as the victor in a 42-32 win.
The teams are so familiar with each other that the Cyclones have scored over 14,000 points against the Wildcats.
The all-time series favors the Wildcats 147-95, and they play even better while at home. Kansas State has a dominant 85-27 record while playing Iowa State on its own turf.
Matchups in Ames have been more even. The Cyclones have a 56-55 record while playing the Wildcats inside of State Gym, the Armory and now Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State holds victories in both the smallest and the largest margins of victory. A 74-39 matchup in 1946 was the biggest blowout between the two teams, and the closest nail-biter was in 2022, when the Cyclones prevailed 74-73.
In the last 10 matchups, victories are split even at five apiece, with Iowa State winning the most recent contest 73-57 last season in Manhattan.
Pleta trending up
Freshman forward Dominykas Pleta had a breakout game early in his college basketball career against Colorado.
In the victory, Pleta set new career highs in six statistical categories, including minutes, points and rebounds.
“You gotta give multiple efforts on everything that you do,” Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “And tonight, like I said, those multiple efforts showed up for [Pleta], right back to work.”
Pleta had 16 points to go along with six rebounds, four of which were offensive rebounds.
He looked the most comfortable he had all season. Otzelberger praised Pleta for his effort on the practice court, especially with Assistant Coach Kyle Green.
“I knew what I had to do: get the rebounds with two hands, be more physical than the other guys. So yeah, it felt pretty good,” Pleta said.
The 0pposition: Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang is now in his fourth season leading the Wildcats. In his first season, he led his team to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight after finishing 26-10 in the regular season.
Tang has proven himself as a worthy coach in college basketball, helping the Baylor Bears to a National Championship in the 2020-2021 season.
The star of this Wildcat team is junior guard P.J. Haggerty, who averages 23 points, over five rebounds and four assists per game.
Haggerty leads the Wildcats in all three major categories (points, rebounds and assists), making him a crucial part of this team.
“We got another good one coming,” Tang said after KSU’s loss at West Virginia. “I’m pretty sure they got a number next to their name.”
