There might not be a team in the nation with a tougher schedule in January than the Kansas Jayhawks. They crushed Baylor, survived a four-overtime game in a 1/2 matchup against Oklahoma, were upset at both West Virginia and Oklahoma State, and they still have to deal with Texas and Kentucky as well before the month is out. The game in the middle of those two comes on Monday night against the Iowa State Cyclones.
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HOW THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Pay really close attention to what happens with Kansas on Saturday at home against Texas. What we're looking for is a much more sound game defensively. The Jayhawks really had no answers in terms of perimeter defense against the Cowboys, and that's really been a problem thus far in the Big XII season. Big time guard pairings have eaten this unit alive, and it's largely because the two men in the backcourt are both relatively small point guards. It's easy to shoot over men who are 6-feet and 6-foot-2 respectively, and that could again prove to be a problem in this game.
The question is how Bill Self will react to what Iowa State throws his way. We're not afraid of the Jayhawks trying to keep up with the pace of the Cyclones as much as we are how they play half-court defense. Let's not forget that this is a team which holds clubs to just 39.5 percent shooting from the field. If KU can figure out how to keep Iowa State in the low 40s in terms of shooting percentage in this game, this is a winnable fixture.
HOW THE IOWA STATE CYCLONES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Cyclones have to hit the glass hard and get off and running in this game, and they'll have to do that for the full 40 minutes. That game against Oklahoma was a perfect representation of what needs to be done to tame the Jayhawks. ISU was +9 on the boards, and the only thing that kept Oklahoma in it was the fact that Buddy Hield went 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, part of an effort in which the Sooners knocked down 17 threes.
Abdel Nader and Monte Morris both had 20 points, while Matt Thomas knocked down three really big threes for the team as well. Those three men are sure to be key, because Georges Niang and Jameel McKay can't do this all on their own against a Kansas team which has significantly more depth and isn't afraid to use it.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The difference between Kansas and Oklahoma is purely a matter of depth. Sure, the Jayhawks don't have a man like Hield who can take over a game all by himself, especially not with a man like Isaiah Cousins running alongside him. However, Self can go 12 players deep if he really needs to, especially if Brannen Greene is back from his hip injury by the time this one tips on Monday night.
That's why we're just not sure that Iowa State has another game like this in it. Had you told Cyclones fans that they would split at home against Oklahoma and Kansas in a span of a week, they'd probably take it, and that's what we think is going to ultimately happen with this one. Expect a fast, high-scoring game which will go back and forth every step of the way, but we love how battle-tested the Jayhawks are and think they're capable of leaving their woes against the Cowboys in the past.
Kansas 84, Iowa State 81
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