No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 4 Missouri Tigers
Saturday, 2/4/12, 9:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -3
Current Betting Line: Missouri -3
Opening Total: 147.5
Current Total: 147.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Kansas travels to take on Missouri in a Border Showdown matchup and will look to win its sixth consecutive game in the Big 12 Conference series. The Jayhawks bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Iowa State Cyclones with a convincing 84-62 win over the Oklahoma Sooners as 17-point home favorites. The stakes have certainly been raised for Saturday night’s contest, with Mizzou Arena being the setting for ESPN’s College Gameday. The last time Kansas was ranked lower than Missouri in the series was March 1, 2009, which led to a 90-65 blowout win inside Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is 1-4 ATS on Saturdays this season.
The Jayhawks are 29-10 versus ranked foes since the 2006-07 season and 38-20 during Bill Self’s tenure on the sidelines. Kansas is 18-4 overall and sits atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-1 mark. The team averages 75.6 points per game offensively, while holding teams to just 60.7 points, which leads to a scoring margin of 14.9 points per game. Self is 17-3 all-time against Missouri, including a 14-3 mark during his time in Lawrence.
Missouri enters this contest on a two-game winning streak that includes an emotional 67-66 win over the Texas Longhorns as one-point road favorites. The Tigers have gone “under” the total in their last two contests. “We cannot win any games except for Kansas and we had a great season,” commented Tigers forward Ricardo Ratliffe. The program has met Saturday’s opponent 15 times previously when both teams were ranked, posting a 6-9 record in those affairs. Missouri is 35-16-1 ATS in home games.
The Tigers won their 20th game of the season last time out and have now done so in four straight campaigns for the third time in program history. Missouri leads the Big 12 in scoring 81.2 points per game, which has directly led to the squad outscoring opponents by a sizable 18.2-point margin. Senior guard Marcus Denmon is the main threat offensively, ranking third in the conference in scoring 17.2 points per game.
Bettors will likely back the Jayhawks due to their 6-0-1 ATS mark in the last seven meetings, while the Tigers are 1-3-1 ATS when hosting in this series.
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