The two best teams in the Big 12 – and the country – are going to battle it out on Big Monday. The Oklahoma Sooners have been something of a surprise package early on this season, as they have remained undefeated through 12 games. However, their perfect record is under threat as they face their toughest yet to date on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Get a full breakdown of this absolutely massive Big 12 showdown. And for more Monday hoops action, this time in the NBA, check out our previews of the Raptors vs. Cavaliers and Hornets vs. Warriors.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks Preview
Where: Phog Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence
When: Monday, January 4, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (12-0, 1-0 Big 12)
The Oklahoma Sooners are firing on all cylinders. They began their conference schedule in style by taking down No. 11 Iowa State, 87-83, at home. That’s now the Sooners’ 12th-straight win, matching the second-best start in school history.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield held his own in his matchup with Iowa State’s star senior Georges Niang. The star guard had 22 points to lead the Sooners in scoring once again. Hield has played up to his status as a preseason All-American, and is No. 4 in the nation with 24.7 points per game.
However, the Sooners are much more than just a one-man team. They’re also getting outstanding contributions from their two other seniors, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler, as well as junior Jordan Woodard. Woodard is second in the team in scoring with 13.9 PPG, while Cousins and Spangler aren’t too far behind at 13.3 and 11.1 PPG, respectively.
Oklahoma is still an excellent defensive team – it’s No. 8 in adjusted defensive efficiency after finishing in that same spot last season – but the marked improvement in offensive efficiency (from No. 44 to No. 8) should give the Sooners a great chance of hanging with free-scoring Kansas on the road.
The last time the two teams met, Hield’s tip-in with 0.2 seconds left gave the Sooners a dramatic 75-73 win over Kansas in Norman.
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Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Speaking of starting conference play in style, the Kansas Jayhawks did just that with a 102-74 demolition of No. 23 Baylor in Lawrence. The Jayhawks, the No. 2 three-point shooting team in the country (46 percent) knocked down 11-of-19 from behind the arc. Wayne Selden Jr. went 5-of-6 as his 24 points led all Jayhawks.
Since Kansas’ close loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic, Kansas has played like the incredibly deep and experience-laden team that most were expecting to be a possible championship team this season.
Hardly any team has even been able to keep within striking distance of the Jayhawks. That’s been especially true in their last six games, where they’re averaging 85 PPG and have been blowing teams out by an average of 27.7 points.
Kansas is ranked No. 7 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency so far this season, one of just two teams ranked in the top 10 in both categories. The other team, of course, is Oklahoma. That should make this matchup much more evenly-contested than the ones Kansas has been part of lately.
However, the Jayhawks do hold the edge in terms of home-court advantage, which has proven to be very effective against Oklahoma. The Jayhawks are 9-0 (6-3 ATS) in their last nine home games at the Phog against Oklahoma, and 14-2 (8-8 ATS) since 1996.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas makes home-court advantage count once again, as the Jayhawks get the 81-77 win.
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