The No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones will go at each other this coming Saturday in Lawrence. The Cyclones have yet to win in Big 12 play, but they remain a dangerous opponent. The Jayhawks have lost just once at home this season. Can they avoid getting upset at Allen Fieldhouse?
The Cyclones are still searching for their first win in Big 12 play. In their last attempt, the Cyclones suffered an embarrassing 91-64 loss at the hands of the Texas Tech Red Raiders at home. In any other conference, the Cyclones might have gotten a league win, but they are playing in the dog-eat-dog world of Big 12 basketball. But despite the losses, the Cyclones didn’t look overmatched in some other losses against elite opponents. They lost by fewer than 10 points to the Texas Longhorns and West Virginia Mountaineers. After seeing the Jayhawks fall on Tuesday, Iowa State might feel better in its chances to score a huge upset in Lawrence, where they are 4-1 against the spread since 2016. The Cyclones are being led by Rasir Bolton, who is averaging 14.8 points per game. Halen Coleman-Lands is putting up 12.7 points per contest and has been lights out from deep, shooting 39.3 percent from behind the arc, so far this season.
Iowa State is 2-0 against the spread in its last two road games.
Kansas’ chances of winning the Big 12 title took a big hit on Tuesday, as the Jayhawks lost to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, 75-70. The Jayhawks were down by as many as 19 points in the game, but went on a tear in the second half only to fall short of successfully pulling off a comeback victory. That loss should only further motivate the Jayhawks to beat Iowa State. Kansas’ rebounding is one that’s going to be a huge advantage for Kansas. The Jayhawks are No. 1 in the Big 12 with 41.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Iowa State is last with 31.0 boards per contest. The tandem of Jalen Wilson and David McCormack should have a field day collecting rebounds in this game. Wilson leads the Jayhawks with 7.8 rebounds per game to go with 13.8 points per contest. McCormack is averaging 12.1 and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Against the Cowboys, McCormack had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
