The Kansas Jayhawks’ reign atop the Big 12 may be coming to an end. It’s been a tough season already for the Jayhawks. Although they are 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12, they have been vulnerable on their home court, losing twice there already this season. Kansas is about to play some of the conference’s heavyweights and will need to make sure it performs well in those games. Before it does that, the Jayhawks must best the Iowa State Cyclones.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
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Iowa State has not been performing well with its talented seniors from last season having graduated. The Cyclones have yet to win a game in conference and don’t have a good non-conference win on their resume yet
It’s not like they haven’t been competitive though. The Cyclones may not have covered against any of their three Big 12 opponents, but they took each of the last two to overtime. The loss against Oklahoma State was especially brutal as Iowa State was a 7.5-point underdog but lost the cover in the extra frame.
Kansas is 2-1 in conference play and 2-1 ATS, but the Jayhawks have not been convincing in those two wins. They squeaked by both TCU and Texas on the road, beating both teams by a combined 10 points.
The main problem has been their defense. Kansas has allowed at least 84 points against all three of their Big 12 opponents. That has led for the over to cash with ease in all three conference games.
Key Stat
Kansas is one of the top shooting teams in the country. The Jayhawks are hitting more than 51 percent of their field goals this season, and that has kept this team winning despite some questionable defensive performances.
Udoka Azubuike continues to pace the team in this area. He is one of the nation’s most efficient scorers, hitting 76.5 percent of his field goals on the season. He is a presence in the low post, but it’s only a matter of time before teams start sending him to the line. Azubuike is hitting just 43.2 percent of his free throws this season.
The Jayhawks have three great three-point shooters. Devonte’ Graham, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, and Lagerald Vick are all hitting 44 percent or better from beyond the arc and that makes this team deadly.
Matchup to Watch
The rebounding battle between these two teams will be an interesting one to watch. Kansas has had a hard time defending the glass this season as it likes to run with a lot of guards. Azubuike is a competent rebounder, but the team relies on its guards to remain competitive on the glass.
Iowa State relies on its guards to rebound as well. The team’s leading rebounder is a guard, Arkansas transfer Nick Babb, and the Cyclones guards must be able to board as well.
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The Cyclones need to be able to outrebound the Jayhawks if they want to win. Iowa State is not a good shooting team and does not create a lot of good chances for itself. The Cyclones are decent at the line though, so it will be up to big men like Cameron Lard and Solomon Young to succeed.
In the end, I expect Kansas to win and cover. The Jayhawks are a flawed team, but they match up well with the Cyclones, who will be unable to punish them down low. Look for a double-digit victory for Kansas in this game.
College Basketball Odds: Kansas 92, Iowa State 79
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