Kansas State Wildcats at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Gallagher-Iba Arena – Stillwater, Oklahoma
Monday, March 3, 2014, 9:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Oklahoma State -8 1/2
Current Line: Oklahoma State -9
Opening Total: 136
Current Total: 138
Opening Money Line: OSU -425 / KSU +335
Current Money Line: OSU -450 / KSU +355
The Big 12 has a good shot at having 7 teams with at least 20 wins. Five teams are already there and both Oklahoma State and Baylor are 19-10. Oklahoma State has won 3 straight games since star guard Marcus Smart returned from a 3 game suspension for getting into a physical altercation with a Texas Tech fan in a road game for the Cowboys in Lubbock. Before the current 3 game streak, OSU had lost 8 straight games, and were firmly on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. The Cowboys are playing like they did earlier in the season when they were ranked in the top 10. OSU beat first place Kansas Saturday night in Stillwater to improve to 7-9 in conference, tied with Baylor for 7th place.
The Cowboys host the 20-9 Kansas State Wildcats Monday night in a key Big 12 game. The Wildcats are 10-6 in conference and part of a four way tie for second behind 13-3 Kansas. The Jayhawks have already clinched the Big 12 regular season title for the 10th straight season. Kansas State is coming off an 80-73 home victory over Iowa State Saturday. The Wildcats have won 2 straight games and 3 of the last 4.
Kansas State leads the series against Oklahoma State 75-49, but the Cowboys are 30-24 in Stillwater against the Wildcats. K-State won the first meeting this season in Manhattan 74-71 January 4 in the Big 12 opener for both schools. Kansas State has won 3 of the last 4 games in the series.
Kansas State is coached by Bruce Weber. The Wildcats have losses to Northern Colorado, Charlotte and Georgetown in a tournament in Puerto Rico, at Kansas, at Texas, at Iowa State, at West Virginia at Baylor and at Oklahoma.. Kansas State has key wins over Oral Roberts, Long Beach State twice (once in Puerto Rico), Ole Miss, Gonzaga in Wichita, Tulane in Brooklyn, George Washington, Oklahoma State, TCU twice, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas Tech twice, Texas, Kansas and Iowa State. The Wildcats are 16-10-1 ATS and the total is 10-16 this season.
Kansas State is outscoring teams 69-64 this season. The Wildcats are #39 in points allowed nationally. Kansas State is shooting 43.6% from the field and 33.1% from 3 point range. The Wildcats are #221 or worse out of 351 teams nationally in scoring, field goal percentage and three point shooting. Kansas State is #326 in free throw shooting at 64.8% from the line. Wildcat opponents are shooting 40.2% from the field and 28.4% from 3 point range. Kansas State is #38 in field goal defense and #5 in three point defense. The Wildcats average 36.1 rebounds per game and opponents average 31.8 per game. Kansas State averages 15.2 assists, 12 turnovers, 6.1 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game. Opponents average 10.7 assists, 13 turnovers, 6.2 steals and 3.6 blocks.
Guard Marcus Foster averages 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Forward Thomas Gipson averages 11.7 points and 6.2 points per game. Guard Shane Southwell averages 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Guard Will Spradling averages 8.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Forward Wesley Iwundu averages 6.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Forward Nino Williams averages 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Nigel Johnson, Jevon Thomas, D.J. Johnson, and Omari Lawrence will also get time in the rotation.
Oklahoma State is coached by Travis Ford. The Cowboys have losses to Memphis in a tournament in Orlando, at Kansas State, at Kansas, Oklahoma twice, Baylor twice, Iowa State Texas Tech and at Texas. OSU has key wins over Memphis at home, at South Florida, over Purdue and Butler in the tournament in Orlando, South Carolina in Stillwater, Louisiana Tech in Oklahoma City, Colorado in Las Vegas, Texas, West Virginia twice, Texas Tech and TCU twice and Kansas. The Cowboys are 11-13-1 ATS and the total is 14-11 this season.
OSU is outscoring teams 81-69 this season. The Cowboys are #16 in scoring nationally. Oklahoma State shoots 47% from the field and 36.9% from 3 point range. The Cowboys are #52 in field goal percentage. OSU makes 71.7% of their free throws. Cowboy opponents are shooting 40.4% from the field and 33.1% from 3 point range. OSU is #43 in field goal defense nationally. The Cowboys are averaging 36.4 rebounds a game and allowing 33.5. OSU is #298 nationally out of 351 teams in rebounds allowed. Oklahoma State averages 14 assists, 7.9 steals, 5.5 blocks, and 10.6 turnovers per game, and opponents average 10.4 assists, 6.4 steals, 3.5 blocks per game, and 14.5 turnovers per game.
Smart averages 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.6 steals a game. Guard Markel Brown averages 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1 block per game. Forward Le’Bryan Nash averages 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Guard Phil Forte III averages 13.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Guard-forward Brian Williams averages 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1.1 steals per game. Guard Stevie Clark averaged 5.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals a game. He was kicked off the team after his second arrest in a month. Forward-center Kamari Murphy averages 6.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Forward-Center Michael Cobbins is out for the season with a broken foot. He averages 4.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Kansas State is 14-4 ATS against teams with winning records, 10-3 after a cover, 10-4 after a straight up win, and 14-6 overall. The over is 4-1 in this series recently. The Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 in this series.
Oklahoma State is 3-0-1 ATS overall and in Big 12 games, 4-1 after a straight up win, 34-14-3 against teams with losing road records, 4-9-1 in Monday games and 10-25-1 against teams with winning records. The home team has covered the last 5 in this series, and the favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6. The Cowboys have covered 5 of the last 6 games in Stillwater in this series.
Kansas State is fantastic at home and can beat any team in the country. However, they are more inconsistent on the road. Kanas State won last week in Lubbock against Texas Tech to snap a 5 game road losing streak. Oklahoma State is playing much better since Smart returned. I like the Cowboys to win at home.
