The Kansas Jayhawks have long been kings of the Big 12, and will aim to continue their run of success this season. They won the conference opener and will look to pile up another victory in a home game against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Kansas is one of the top ranked teams in the country and has reeled off 12 consecutive wins since dropping its season opener to the Indiana Hoosiers. The Wildcats also have just a lone loss on their record but don’t have the same pedigree and will be the underdogs when they hit the road for this one.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 3, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas is 12-1 straight up but just 4-7 against the spread as it often is giving several points to opponents before hitting the floor, The Jayhawks have only covered once in four attempts at home and are only 3-7 against the spread as the favorite.
Kansas is a dominant team but has not paid off very well for those backing them on the spread. The Jayhawks will aim to turn that around here.
Kansas State is 12-1 straight up and has done much better against the spread with a 6-3 record. The Wildcats have played one true road game and were able to cover in it. They have yet to be the underdog in a game this season so it will be interesting to see how they respond in this one.
Key Stat
One. That’s how many points separate Kansas State from being undefeated. The team’s only loss this season came on November 26th when the Wildcats fell to Maryland, 69-68, after a late layup by Melo Trimble gave the the Terrapins the win.
And, although Kansas State has not had the toughest schedule, a near-perfect record is still impressive, especially when considering how close it is to being perfect. Since that loss, the team has won seven straight.
Player to Watch
Frank Mason III. The Jayhawks’ senior guard is averaging a team-high 19.8 points along with 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Mason had 22 points and seven assists in the team’s 86-80 win over TCU on December 30th.
He scored a season-high 30 points for Kansas in the overtime loss to Indiana in the season opener on November 11th and matched that number again on December 6th against UMKC. Aside from his scoring abilities, Mason has also demonstrated poise and experience on the court and coming up clutch for the Jayhawks in key situations.
Mason was named the Big 12 Player of the week on December 12th. The senior leads an offense that is averaging 86.5 points a game, 13th in the country.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
There are a lot of perennially powerful teams making up the top of the national rankings again, and count Kansas among them. The Jayhawks have a win over Duke and a close loss to Indiana, and have taken care of business against everyone else on the schedule.
Kansas is an impressive scoring team and shoots 51 percent from the field overall, so Kansas State has to minimize the easy buckets.
The Wildcats have been similar statistically but haven’t played the same schedule. This is a statement game for Kansas State, which could certainly turn some heads with an upset win, especially on the road.
The Wildcats have nice balance with six different players averaging at least 9.0 points per game. They will need many of them to play well to stay close in this one, but in the end Kansas will have too much firepower.
College Basketball Odds: Kansas 82, Kansas State 71
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