The No.1-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (27-4) take on the Kansas State Wildcats (17-15) in the second round of the Big 12 tournament at Sprint Center. The game starts at 2:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Jayhawks beat Iowa State 85-78 in their last game. Perry Ellis was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-71 win over Oklahoma State in the 1. Dean Wade shot 6-for-9 and led in scoring with 20 points.
The Kansas defense should have a clear edge in terms of eFG%. It ranks 12th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.1%), while the Kansas State offense is 276th with a mark of 47.7%.
The Jayhawks have won both contests against the Wildcats this season, including a 72-63 victory in their last matchup. Wade was a standout player in the game, producing 20 points, six rebounds, one assist, and three three-pointers.
Notes
The Kansas Jayhawks rank 10th for their offensive rating of 117.2. The Kansas State Wildcats have a defensive rating of 99.8 (ranked 43rd).
On average, Kansas has 69.8 possessions per game and scores 1.172 points on each possession. Kansas State has both fewer possessions (68.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.040).
Kansas is ranked eighth in the nation with an average effective field goal percentage of 56.5%. Kansas State has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-5).
Kansas ranks 42nd in assists, registering 15.7 per game. Kansas State performs worse at 141st with 13.9 assists per game.
Kansas, the 88th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.2 per game. Kansas State does worse, ranked 251st with 2.8.
Kansas ranks 58th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Kansas State ranks 27th.
Though Kansas State is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 21.1% (ranked 15th), Kansas has a dazzling 8-2 record SU when it has a TO% of 21.1% or greater.
