A rising Pac-12 power meets the long-time Big 12 juggernaut in a battle of two top-15 teams this Saturday. The No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks have reeled off six-straight wins despite playing far from their best basketball. They face off with the No. 13 Utah Utes, who have also won six in a row and have already knocked off a top-10 opponent this season.
Get a complete breakdown of this big-time non-conference matchup with our preview below. And for more matinee basketball action this Saturday, check out our preview of the Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks here.
Delon Wright has been making up for his disappointing seven-point, 2-of-13 performance in Utah’s only loss of the season thus far with a string of big games. The senior guard had back-to-back 20-point games in blowout wins against North Dakota and Alabama State at the end of November.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]He then followed those with an all-around effort (13 points, six rebounds, seven assists) in Utah’s shock win over No. 8 Wichita State to snap the Shockers’ 35-game regular season winning streak. He also had team highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Utes to a huge 64-61 road win against state rival BYU on Wednesday.
Wright has had to carry much of the offensive load for the Utes with the injury to second-leading scorer Jordan Loveridge. The junior forward has been sidelined after undergoing knee surgery.
Seven-foot freshman Jakob Poeltl has been one of the solid contributors to step up in Loveridge’s absence. He’s averaging 13.3 points in the four games without Loveridge, including a 12-point, 11-rebound effort against Wichita State.
Poeltl is also the foundation of a very solid Utah defense giving up only 57.4 points per game (28th in the NCAA). He has been a major presence in the paint with season averages of 9.3 rebounds and three blocks (top 25 in the NCAA) per game.
7-1 Utah is 6-2 against the spread this season.
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Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks may not be winning convincingly, but at least they’re winning. Since that disastrous 72-40 drubbing at the hands of Kentucky at the Champions Classic at the start of the season, the Jayhawks have reeled off six consecutive wins.
Their last three wins have come against the storied programs of Michigan State, Florida and Georgetown by six points or fewer. The Jayhawks are 4-1 in their last five games against the spread.
Kansas will need steadier play from junior forward Perry Ellis. Ellis was expected to be the team’s leader this season, but he’s off to a slow start (14.4 points on 42 percent shooting). The same goes for misfiring sophomore guards Wayne Selden Jr. (34 percent) and Frank Mason III (42 percent).
Meanwhile, their promising crop of freshmen led by Cliff Alexander (9.6 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (4.9 points) have contributed in spurts, but are still trying to find some sort of consistency.
The Jayhawks have an undersized lineup – only one player is taller than 6-8 – which could give them some trouble inside against the seven-foot Poeltl. But they will get some size back as 6-8 junior Jamari Traylor returns from a one-game suspension. Head coach Bill Self left him out against Georgetown after Traylor was arrested for interfering with a police officer.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas’ superior talent is enough to see them past the Utes. Take the Jayhawks to win and cover
