The No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks are among the top candidates to win the national title. They are priced +1,100 to do just that, but they still have to prove themselves in their own conference first. That includes a matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones (+10,000 to win national title), who may not be ranked, but are 16th in KenPom.
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Betting Preview for the Kansas Jayhawks vs Iowa State Cyclones College Basketball Game on January 5, 2019
Where: Hilton Coliseum, Ames
When: Saturday, January 5, 2019, 5:00 PM ET
Line: Kansas Jayhawks (odds) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (12-1 Overall / 1-0 Conference)
The road to the top of the Big 12 will still go through Lawrence. The Jayhawks are in fine form right now, especially after showing why they’re national title contender in a 70-63 win over No. 23 Oklahoma Sooners at home on Jan. 2. The Jayhawks bucked a poor shooting in the Oklahoma game, as they only went 26-for-63 from the field and just 4-for-21 from behind the arc. Kansas isn’t shooting as well as it used to before, but what’s different is that the Jayhawks are having a great season defensively. Although Kansas is just 108th in the nation with 69.3 points allowed per game, KenPom has the program ranked eighth overall in adjusted defensive efficiency. That’s because the Jayhawks rebound the ball well, they play on-ball defense well, cut the passing lanes of their opponents well, and protects the rim well. The Jayhawks are 35th in rebounding per game (39.8), 55th in steals (7.7), and 95th in blocks (4.0).
The Jayhawks, who are still averaging 80.8 points per game, are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Iowa State Cyclones (11-2 Overall / 1-0 Conference)
The Cyclones just became an even more dangerous team to face with the return of sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton to action. After missing most of non-conference play due to a foot injury, Wigginton has played in the Cyclones’ last two games and has been solid in both of them. He scored 15 points in his first game back during an easy 101-53 blowout win at home over the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Dec. 21 and had 17 points during a 69-63 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater on Jan. 2. Wigginton, however, has yet to get his touch from the outside, as he’s gone 1-for-11 from deep in those two games. It may just be a matter of time for him to get his 3-point shot back. After all, he made 40.1 percent of his 3-point attempts last season. Wigginton forms a potent offensive tandem with Marial Shayok, who leads the Big 12 with 19.8 points. A hot-shooting tandem like Shayok and Wigginton is sometimes all the team needs to score an upset, so watch out for them this Saturday.
The Cyclones are 23rd in the nation with 82.5 points per game and 40th with just 64.8 points surrendered per contest.
Iowa State is 4-0 ATS in its last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas wins, 77-71.
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