A battle of Top 25 teams take to the floor tonight in Big 12 College Basketball action when the 11th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones travel to take on the eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the Betting Odds for the game have the Jayhawks favored by a comfortable margin to pick up the win tonight.
This is certainly a great game to be watching on Big Monday on ESPN. Both the Cyclones and Jayhawks are the class of the Big 12 this season and them taking the floor together is certainly going to be fun to watch. The Cyclones just knocked off Kansas by five points a couple weeks back on a Saturday night in Ames when the place was packed. That will obviously be the case again tonight as Phog Allen is always rocking and ready to go, especially when a great team comes into town. Iowa State fits that bill.
Fred Hoiberg and the gang have aspirations of winning a conference title and ending the massive run by the Jayhawks in the Big 12. Iowa State comes in wanting to push the basketball in transition, score points and turn their opponents over. The Cyclones average better than 81 points a game this season and lead the country in assists per game at almost 18 handouts — led by Monte Morris and his six assists per game. Morris at the point guard position makes the Cyclones very tough to beat as they are always looking to run and get the ball moving.
Kansas can play that type of game as well, but they average almost 10 points per game less than Iowa State. They don't shoot the ball nearly as well (49% ISU, 43% KU) but they are a better rebounding team, which could be a big factor in this game tonight. The last game between these two clubs saw the Jayhawks have 11 more rebounds than Iowa State and although it didn't work for them in that game, it very well could in this one at home.
All five Iowa State starters were in double figures in that game, led by Naz Long with 20 while Georges Niang added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists. Morris handed out 10 assists and scored 11 points for the Cyclones. Kansas had four starters in double digits in that one, led by Frank Mason with 21 and Perry Ellis with 19.
The starters in this game will all have big impacts, but freshman Cliff Alexander coming off the bench for Bill Self could prove to be the difference. He is a high energy guy that brings a lot of upside on the interior, which could prove to be a big deal in this one tonight. Look for Kansas to pick up the win and even the season series.
Free Pick: Kansas 78, Iowa State 70
$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Get more Free Picks from the Pregame Pros HERE.
Be sure and check out Pregame.tv every week for our videos that include handicapping tips, Webinars, analysis and Free Plays.