The Big 12’s top team will be on the road when the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks (15-2) head to Gallagher-Iba Arena to face off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-8). Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Cowboys are hoping to rebound after their 74-69 loss to Texas on Saturday. Leyton Hammonds was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-63 win against TCU on Saturday. Cheick Diallo had a good game for Kansas, accounting for nine points, nine rebounds, and five blocks.
In terms of eFG%, this game will match strength against strength when the Jayhawks have possession. Their upper-echelon offense is ranked 14th in the nation in that metric at 56.5%, while Oklahoma State is 29th-best in the nation in eFG% defense (44.8%).
Kansas takes on Oklahoma State as a nine-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 142 points. The Cowboys have gone 9-8 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, the Jayhawks have 15-2 SU and 10-5 ATS records. The Jayhawks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 32nd in Division I at 1.45. The Kansas defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .389 shooting from the field to its opponents. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Jayhawks, who rank 37th in the nation with 8.0 steals per game.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Oklahoma State won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake Kansas in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. On the other hand, Oklahoma State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. During their latest five matchups, neither team ever held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kansas, ATS Winner – Kansas, O/U – Over
Notes
Oklahoma State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Oklahoma State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma State is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Kansas.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma State’s last 6 games when playing Kansas.
Oklahoma State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas.
Kansas holds a 4-1 SU record against the Big 12 Conference this season, while Oklahoma State has a losing 1-4 SU record against the conference.
Kansas is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 85.8 points per game (ranked fourth). Oklahoma State allows 65.5 points per game (ranked 46th).
Oklahoma State has allowed an average of 62.1 points per home game this season. Kansas averages 81.7 points per away game, ranking 12th in scoring.
Ranked 14th, the Kansas Jayhawks have an offensive rating of 118.2. The Oklahoma State Cowboys rank 115th with a defensive rating of just 99.3.
Oklahoma State has an average field goal percentage of 43.9%. Kansas is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Oklahoma State attempts 17.0 three pointers and Kansas attempts 19.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Oklahoma State Cowboys sit at 2-1 and the Kansas Jayhawks are 8-1.
Kansas ranks 32nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.45. Oklahoma State is ranked lower at 150th with an A/TO of 1.10.
Kansas, the 58th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. Oklahoma State does worse, ranked 195th with 36.4.
On average, Oklahoma State makes 5.9 steals per game. Kansas has a dazzling 9-1 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
