Two of the top teams in the Big 12 face off in an intrastate grudge match as the No. 7 Kansas State Wildcats (18-3, 6-2) take on the Kansas Jayhawks (17-4, 5-3). The Jayhawks will host this one at Allen Fieldhouse, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
These two teams squared off two weeks ago, with the Wildcats winning the first matchup at home 83-82 in overtime. In the win, Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills both put up 24 points, while Nae’Qwan Tomlin had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
In the loss, Jalen Wilson had a game-high 38 points to go along with nine rebounds. Gradey Dick and K.J. Adams Jr combined for 33 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
The Jayhawks are the heavy favorites playing at home. They are -300 to win, while the Wildcats’ moneyline sits at +240. The spread features Kansas State as 6.5-point underdogs (-102), and the over/under for total points is 146.5 (-110).
Wildcats Looking For Regular Season Sweep
At 18-3, the Wildcats have had a phenomenal season to this point. While they sit at the top of the Big 12, there are six teams all within one game of first place in the conference. With the Jayhawks being one of them, Kansas State would surely love to sweep their Big 12 rivals on the road.
Unfortunately for Wildcats’ fans, the team has been much better at home (12-0) than they have been on the road (3-3). Especially going into the hostile environment of Allen Fieldhouse, it isn’t a huge surprise they are road underdogs.
Offensively, the Wildcats rank 39th overall, averaging 77.1 points per game (79.8 on the road). They are led by senior forward Keyontae Johnson, who is averaging 18 points per game and is shooting 53.1% from the field. He is also averaging 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Other major contributors for Kansas State include Markquis Nowell (16.9 points, 8.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists).
On defense, Kansas State ranks 101st in the nation, allowing opponents an average of 67.3 points per game. They have been far worse on the road, though, as they are allowing 77 points away from home.
Kansas Looking For Back-To-Back Wins
The loss to the Wildcats two weeks ago was the first of three straight defeats for Kansas. After losing those three to top-15 teams, they were finally able to get back into the win column on Saturday against Kentucky 77-68. Now back at home, they will look to get their revenge on the Wildcats and move back up in the standings in the Big 12.
The Jayhawks rank 54th in scoring this season, averaging 76 points per game (77.5). Leading the Jayhawks’ attack is junior forward Jalen Wilson. In 21 games, he is averaging 21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
Gradey Dick (14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds), K.J. Adams Jr (10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists), and Kevin McCullar (10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists) have also had solid seasons thus far.
The Wildcats rank 107th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 67.5 points per game (65.5 at home).
Take The Wildcats And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Wildcats are 12-2 straight up in their last 14 games, and they are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine games. With that said, they are winless in their last 16 games when playing on the road against the Jayhawks.
As for Kansas, they are 16-4 in their last 20 games, but they are 0-5 against the spread in their last five home games and 1-5 against the spread in their last six games overall.
This one definitely feels like a revenge game for the Jayhawks playing at home. Still, while the Jayhawks are definitely at an advantage in front of their home faithful, they have struggled to cover spreads as of late.
Couple that with the Wildcats solid play this season and there is a lot of value in taking Kansas State +6.5 (-102) in this one.
