The undefeated Kansas Jayhawks top the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll heading into this game on the road against the No.18 Arizona State Sun Devils who enter play undefeated at home. With Kansas yet to lose and Arizona State yet to lose at home, something has to give.
The Sun Devils will be the fourth ranked team to try and unseat Kansas, but the first in a true road game for the Jayhawks. Will that make a difference? Can Arizona State maintain its undefeated record at home against the No.1 team in the nation? Or will Kansas remain unbeaten?
Regardless of the outcome, this game is one of the most interesting college hoops matchups of the weekend, an early Christmas present of sorts of avid college basketball fans and bettors.
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Kansas Jayhawks vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Date and Time: Saturday, December 22, 2018, 9 p.m. ET
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Tempe, Arizona
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Jayhawks vs. Sun Devils TV Coverage: ESPN2
The Sun Devils will be happy to return home for their first home game since December 1 when they topped Texas Southern, 83-71, to improve to 5-0 at home. Since then, Arizona State has played three games, dropping two of them as they’ve lost to Nevada and Vanderbilt with a narrow 76-74 win over Georgia sandwiched between the losses.
Arizona State seemed poised for a big step forward this season after looking good in the non-conference schedule last year, but falling off as the season progressed. That makes the latest two losses for the Sun Devils a bit concerning, but for now there’s optimism the team will be helped by a return to their home court.
On the court, Arizona State is a strong offensive team. They’re not the most accurate group of shooters, but they have a balanced roster.
Luguentz Dort has proven to be a strong freshman guard. He’s got 19.8 PPG to lead the team and is shooting well enough inside and has produced well on the perimeter, too. Remy Martin and Rob Edwards help fill out the backcourt.
Edwards has only played four game this year and looked rusty in the Nevada and Georgia game, but—despite the loss to Vanderbilt—he played much better, scoring 14 in 25 minutes of action with three assists. If Edwards can continue that type of play on Saturday, it’ll certainly help beef up a backcourt that could use a bit more than just Dort as a scorer.
Last year, Arizona State was a guard-heavy team, but this year, they’ve got some quality forwards to go with them, going with more size at the wings.
Kimani Lawrence and Zylan Cheatham are both double-digit scorers this season, joining Dort and guard Remy Martin for that distinction. Cheatham also has 10.1 RPG and a surprisingly large number of assists as well.
Factoring in Romello White, Taeshon Cherry and De’Quon Lake, this is a deep frontcourt full of potential. Unfortunately, that potential didn’t play out in the team’s last game.
The Sun Devils managed just 65-points in their loss to Vandy. Aside from the 14 from Edwards, Dort was the only other to reach double-digit points, scoring 10 while going just 3-for-13 from the floor.
As a team, Arizona State shot 32.3-percent from the floor. The rebounded well and nabbed a few steals, but were unable to sink the shots when they needed them.
While that was just one game, Kansas hasn’t had that kind of an issue in any of its games this season.
The Jayhawks have already beaten Michigan State, Tennessee and Villanova, three teams with a higher ranking going into their games with Kansas than the Sun Devils. Most recently, Kansas has just won a game over South Dakota by 36-points.
Kansas is averaging 82 PPG and couples a good offensive team with strong defense. The team is shooting 48.9-percent from the floor.
Inside the paint, Kansas has played the last three games without 7’1” center Udoka Azubuike who could be back on Saturday though is likely to miss at least one more game.
Even without him, the Jayhawks got by Villanova 74-71 going with a smaller team featuring a four-guard set. Marcus Garrett got the start along with Dedric Lawson, Lagerald Vick, Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes. He played 37 minutes and ended with a single point, but helped move the ball around the court.
The scoring was primarily left to Vick and Lawson. Lawson scored 28 in the game and nabbed his seventh double-double though 10 games. A junior transfer from Memphis, Lawson has been a beast with 19.7 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He’s also had nine blocks this season and 24 assists. He’s the major threat inside, but the guards can also push towards the basket, including Vick.
Vick led the team in scoring in the Villanova game and was 9-for-15 from the floor while taking eight shots from three. He scored 29 in the game and has 17.1 PPG. He’s also shooting 54-percent from three.
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The Sun Devils’ offense has gone cold the last few games, failing to reach 70 in two of the last three games. By no coincidence those were the two games the team lost. Arizona State is averaging 81 points, but lately that numbers has been dropping quickly as the team’s struggled to find consistency shooting.
Watch to see how well the Sun Devils shoot out of the gate they struggled in the first half in their two losses and those struggles carried throughout the end of the game. Kansas is a lot more predictable. We can expect Kansas to continue shooting well. It’ll be up to the home team to keep up.
As always, BookMaker.eu offers real-time updates to spreads and totals along with plenty of live betting opportunities.
Key Player
Without Azubuike, Kansas is a bit more beatable inside. Lawrence and Cheatham should be up to the challenge, but the backcourt still needs some help if Arizona State is to hand Kansas its first loss of the season.
Dort is an excellent player and a prolific scorer much like Vick for the Jayhawks, but Vick has a ton of help with Dotson and Grimes—amongst others. The Sun Devils need Edwards to step up and prove he’s back in peak form after his showing against Vanderbilt.
Edwards’ season hasn’t gone according to plan. A back injury cost him most of the year to this point, but he looked good last time out and will look to build on that. He’s a gifted scorer—adding an extra threat to Dort—and can adapt well to the up-tempo, run-and-gun Arizona State offense.
We haven’t seen much from Edwards this year, but he’s a guy that had 16.5 PPG his last year with Cleveland State and he tallied 14 points last game, including sinking a couple shots outside in just four chances.
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Azubuike inside immediately makes the Jayhawks a better team and his injury hurts. But this is a very deep team loaded with talent. They beat then-No.17 Villanova without him and are equipped to do the same on Saturday against Arizona State.
The talent on the Kansas roster is incredible. Lawson has dominated inside the paint and has been huge securing rebounds—on both sides of the ball—under the basket. Look for a big game from him while Vick, Dotson and Grimes control the backcourt.
The Sun Devils’ recent losses are a concern when going up against the reigning No.1 team. Playing at the Wells Fargo Arena is a point in the Sun Devils’ favor, but look for their undefeated home record to end on Saturday night in the desert.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Kansas 79, Arizona State 74
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