Iowa State Cyclones at No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday, 1/14/12, 4:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN3
Opening Point Spread: Kansas -14.5
Current Betting Line: Kansas -15
Opening Total: 139
Current Total: 139
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Iowa State had its seven-game win streak snapped last time out by the Missouri Tigers as four-point home underdogs, while the team has gone ‘under’ the total in two straight contests. The Cylones know they must play great defense against Kansas star forward Thomas Robinson to have a shot in this contest. “He’s really turned into one of the most complete players in the country this year,” commented Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg. Iowa State is 3-0 ATS as a road underdog of 12.5 to 15 points the last two-plus years.
The Cyclones will be meeting a ranked opponent for the third time this season and comes in leading the Big 12 Conference in making 9.1 three pointers per game. Iowa State has four players with 25 or more three-pointers, as the team is one of just three teams in the nation with that distinction. It’s going to be a tough task to pull off an upset Saturday afternoon, with the program dropping 12 consecutive games in this series.
Kansas has won six games in a row and just swept a two-game road trip against the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Jayhawks were led by Robinson in their last contest versus the Red Raiders, notching game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds in playing just 19 minutes. “We got a lot of easy baskets because we didn’t settle,” stated Jayhawks head coach Bill Self. The program is 8-0 at home this season and is outscoring opponents by an average of 17.1 points per contest for the entire season. Kansas is 21-19 ATS versus conference opponents the last two-plus years.
The Jayhawks lead the conference in out-rebounding opponents by nine boards per game, as Robinson is the only player in the Big 12 to be averaging a double-double. Self has tallied an impressive 15-2 all-time mark against Iowa State, including a 14-2 record during his time in Lawrence. Five different players on the roster have led the team in scoring this season, as the team has shot better than its opponents in 13 of 16 games. Senior Tyshawn Taylor is a player to watch on the perimeter, averaging 6.6 assists in his last eight games.
Bettors will likely back the Jayhawks due to their 8-2-1 ATS mark on Saturdays, while the Cyclones are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six trips to Kansas.
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