The No. 3-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (16-3) head to Iowa State to take on the No. 19-ranked Cyclones (15-4) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 25 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Cyclones enter this game hoping for similar success after topping TCU 73-60 on Saturday. Monte Morris was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-67 win against Texas on Saturday. Perry Ellis led the game in scoring by accounting for 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting.
It might turn into a shootout as a pair of the nation’s top offenses match up. Iowa State ranks 24th in the country with 115.2 points per 100 possessions, while Kansas is 14th in that metric (117.4).
Iowa State is a slim one-point favorite at home against Kansas. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 162 points for this matchup. The Cyclones have gone 15-4 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cyclones have no trouble scoring as they rank 11th in the nation in offense with 84.4 points per game. Iowa State is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.48.
As for their opponent, the Jayhawks have records of 10-7 ATS and 16-3 SU. Offensively, they average 84.3 points per game, which is good for 12th in the country. The Jayhawks convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking fourth in the nation at .436. The Jayhawks are an unselfish team with an average of 16.8 assists per game, ranking 25th in Division I. Defensive rebounding is an area where Kansas has excelled. The Jayhawks average 28.7 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Kansas won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Kansas held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Iowa State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kansas, ATS Winner – Kansas, O/U – Over
Notes
Iowa State is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Iowa State’s last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Iowa State’s last 5 games when playing Kansas.
Iowa State is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Kansas.
Iowa State is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 84.4 points per game (ranked 11th). Kansas, on the other hand, allows 68.4 points per game (ranked 117th).
Iowa State averages 84.2 points per home game (ranked 44th). Kansas allows 71.4 points per away game (ranked 99th).
The Iowa State Cyclones rank 24th for their offensive rating of 115.2. The Kansas Jayhawks have a defensive rating of 95.7 (ranked 38th).
Iowa State averages 73.2 possessions per game, scoring 1.152 points on each possession. While Kansas averages fewer possessions per game with 71.8, they score more points per possession with 1.174.
The Kansas Jayhawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 16th in the country with an eFG% of 55.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Iowa State Cyclones have a losing 1-3 record.
The Iowa State Cyclones average 22.0 three point attempts per game, and the Kansas Jayhawks attempt 20.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Iowa State is 12-1 and Kansas is 9-2.
The 23rd-ranked team in the category, Iowa State has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.48 this season. Kansas ranks 29th with an A/TO of 1.44.
Iowa State ranks 93rd in rebounds per game with 38.4 and Kansas ranks 65th with 39.2 rebounds per game.
Kansas ranks 158th in offensive rebounds, while Iowa State ranks at 23rd in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 19.7% when playing Kansas this season. Iowa State is undefeated this season (1-0) when its TO% is 19.7% or higher.
