Big 12 Tournament: TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview
The Big 12 tournament will see a pair of top-25 teams square off Thursday night as the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs (20-11, 9-9) take on the No. 12 Kansas State Wildcats (23-8, 11-7). This game will be played at the T-Mobile Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:30 pm ET.
TCU comes in as the favorite in this one. They are -134 to win, while the Wildcats’ moneyline sits at +112. The spread features Kansas State as 2.5-point underdogs (-118), and the over/under for total points is 147.5 (-110).
TCU Looks To Take Tiebreaker
These two teams have squared off twice this season, with the home team winning both matchups. On January 14, the Horned Frogs prevailed 82-68, while the Wildcats won on February 7 82-61. On Thursday, TCU will look to take the tiebreaker on a neutral floor.
Coming into this one, TCU ranks 66th in the nation in scoring, averaging 75.5 points per game. They are led by junior guard Mike Miles, who is averaging 17.2 points on 50% shooting. He is also averaging 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Other contributors for the Horned Frogs include guard Damion Baugh (13 points, 4.4 rebounds, six assists) and forward Emanuel Miller (12.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists).
Defensively, TCU ranks 106th in the nation, allowing opponents an average of 68 points per game.
Wildcats Look To Bounce Back
The regular season did not exactly end the way that Kansas State had hoped. They went just 4-3 in their last seven games and lost their finale 89-81 on the road versus unranked West Virginia. They will look to bounce back as they take on a tough TCU team.
Defensively, Kansas State ranks 122nd in the nation, allowing an average of 68.7 points per game to opponents.
On the offensive side, they come in ranked 59th, averaging 75.8 points per game. Senior forward Keyontae Johnson has had a great season for the Wildcats, averaging 17.8 points on 51.9% shooting, while also averaging seven rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Senior guard Markquis Nowell has been almost as electric, averaging 17 points, 3.5 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Forward Nae-Qwan Tomlin is the only other player averaging double digits with 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Take Kansas State And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Horned Frogs are just 3-6 straight up and 2-7 against the spread in their last nine games. Furthermore, they are 2-4 both straight up and against the spread in their last six games versus the Wildcats.
As for Kansas State, they are 4-1 straight up and against the spread in their last five. They are also 12-6 against the spread in their last 18 versus Big 12 opponents.
As seen in their two matchups during the regular season, this one could truly go either way. For that reason, the best money might be in taking the points. In this case, that means taking Kansas State +2.5 (-110).
