Kansas hasn’t lost since its season opener, and even on the road should enter this showdown as the favorite. However, Iowa State has a lot of experience and is a team playing well. A rabid home crowd should be a boost as the Cyclones aim for the upset in this matchup.
At 9 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Monday, January 16, 2017, at the James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Iowa State is 10-4 straight up and 6-5 against the spread. The Cyclones have played five home games and have covered in three of them. Iowa State has been very good as the underdog this season, covering in all three attempts, which is something to consider for this one.
Kansas is 15-1 straight up and 5-9 against the spread. The Jayhawks have played three true road games and failed to cover in any of them. Kansas is just 4-9 against the spread as the favorite this season as foes have kept games closer than expected.
Player to Watch
Frank Mason III – The Kansas superstar has been electric lately. Mason put up 29 points against Oklahoma on January 10 and also scored 26 in the team’s win over Texas Tech on January 7th.
The senior guard is averaging 20.4 points per game on the season. He has captured two 30-point games this year, his high for the season so far, and has scored 20 points or more in nine contests.
If his recent numbers are any indication, Mason is in the zone right now and that’s a good thing for Kansas. The Jayhawks’ second half of the schedule is much tougher than the first this season.
Key Stat
64.3. That’s how many points per game Iowa State’s defense is allowing so far this season. On Monday, however, the Cyclones face a Kansas offense that is averaging 86.3 points per game and a team that hasn’t lost a game since November.
Iowa State hasn’t fared well against ranked opponents so far this season going 0-2 in matchups against No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor. It’s important to note, though, that both losses were by just two points so the Cyclones are certainly capable of hanging tough with the nation’s best.
The Cyclones held Baylor to just 65 points in the recent loss on January 7th, 10 points below the Bears’ average this season. The defense will hope for another strong performance against Kansas this week and it will need it to have a shot at an upset.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Iowa State may just have the right combination to win this game. The Cyclones have played well against ranked foes, including the two-point loss on the road against Baylor. Iowa State has a lot of experience as well as a tough defense, which should be a good combination since it wants to scratch and claw in this one.
Kansas is so good that its talent could very well overwhelm the Cyclones. However, the feeling is that this won’t happen. Iowa State has come close to knocking off a pair of elite teams and has otherwise played pretty well on the year.
The college basketball world will turn its head if Iowa State can win this game, and that’s the call. This could be a lucrative payout for those who back the Cyclones on the moneyline.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa State 75, Kansas 73
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