Saturday Big 12/SEC Challenge: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Texas A&M Aggies

With the amount of parity that currently exists in college basketball, it's not a difficult task to seek out match ups that showcase two teams who believe they have what it takes to win a national championship.  Despite a devastating loss on the road to the pesky Arkansas Razorbacks, the Aggies still have one of the best defenses in the country (64.3 PAPG, 29th in NCAA) and will look to suppress the free flowing offense of the Cyclones (84.4 PPG, 12 in NCAA).

It's difficult to discuss the dynamic offensive abilities of the Cyclones without bringing up senior forward Georges Niang. Between his unwavering consistency at shooting from nearly anywhere on the court (52.5% FG%) and his relentless defensive presence (6.4 RPG, 0.9 SPG) Niang is one of the most well-rounded players in the country.  Better yet, Niang has proven that he has only gotten better and more disciplined since his freshman year as his free throw accuracy (70% from the line freshman year, 85.1% from the line this year) and offensive tenacity (12.1 PPG freshman year, 19.3 PPG this year) have allowed Niang to become an unstoppable force.

Although Niang's developed versatility is impressive, the maturation of junior guard Monte Morris has been equally intriguing.  As one of the most unselfish ball facilitators in college basketball (7.0 APG), Morris has become one of the unsung heroes for this Cyclones team that is reliant upon a tenacious offense who's success is predicated on hyper team vigilance and seamless ball movement.

While the Cyclones offensive capabilities are difficult to suppress, the Aggies have a defensive team that has made a living at shutting down happy go lucky offenses.  The crux of the Aggies defensive triumphs is the result of freshman center Tyler Davis being a domineering mountain that refuses to give up an easy shot (1.1 BPG). However, what's even more mesmerizing is the fact that Davis also has a well-developed offensive game and utilizes his size in the low post to take high-percentage shots (67.3 FG%).

Yet, even with Davis' worthy contributions, the Aggies have one of the best two guards in the game in senior Jalen Jones.  Although it's easy to look at Jones' statistical output and assume he's a pure scorer (46.7 FG%, 17.1 PPG), Jones also prides himself on being a sensational rebounder (7.0 RPG) as well as a aggressive ball snatcher (1.0 SPG). 

In the end, while both of these teams have their preferred styles of play, they are both capable at being efficient on both sides of the court. While the Aggies have a lot of underrated talent that has proven that they can take on anyone, the Cyclones have empathically shown that they can take on the best of best without being intimidated (three wins against top five opponents this season).  Although the Aggies will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after their most recent defeat, the Cyclones have proven that they play their best basketball when taking on dominant opponents.

Iowa State Cyclones 70 Texas A&M Aggies 68