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This should be an exciting Big-12 matchup for Tuesday night! It's time to continue our college basketball odds series with an Iowa State-Kansas prediction and pick.
Iowa State has had an interesting last few weeks. They reached as far as No. 8 in the nation but fell back to No. 15 after losses to top-ranked Baylor and unranked Oklahoma. In between those losses they beat No. 25 Texas Tech to keep them in the rankings. They are now 13-2 and should continue to play well the rest of the way through the season. The Cyclones are led by guard Izaiah Brockington who is averaging 17 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Kansas started the season in the top-4 but lost to ranked Dayton early on in the season. They bounced back and won every game until their last, which was a loss to No. 25 Texas Tech. They are now ranked 9th in the nation with a 12-2 record. Their game against Colorado was canceled altogether, and so they will play one fewer game this year. The Jayhawks are led by one of the top guards in the nation, Ochai Agbaji, who averages 20.5 points per game and is shooting 53% from the field this year.
Here are the Iowa State-Kansas college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Iowa State-Kansas Odds
Iowa State: +13 (-110)
Kansas: -13 (-110)
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
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Why Iowa State Could Cover The Spread
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The last time the Cyclones beat Kansas was back in 2017. Kansas has had their number lately but Iowa State has gotten a lot better within the basketball program. This will be a game that should have implications later in the season. These two teams are going to be in the running to win the conference tournament this year. Iowa State will need to rely on Brockington to get them over the hump but he is talented enough to do so. The rest of the team is improving and they are putting themselves in positions to be successful.
The defense is what is going to cover this spread for them. They allow nine fewer points per game than Kansas and that is a good sign. Kansas comes in as huge favorites but Iowa State has the opportunity to cover this spread because of their defense. If they can force turnovers and create tough opportunities for Kansas, then there should be no reason why they can't keep the score within 12. Containing Agbaji is their No.1 priority.
Why Kansas Could Cover The Spread
I'm a bit shocked a team coming off a loss would be favored by this much against a ranked opponent. Either way, Kansas does seem like the better team right now. But they have won their last seven home games and the margin of victory has been over 20 points. So with that being said, it kind of makes sense that Kansas has a spread this high. The offense averages 83.1 points per game this season which is 12 more than Iowa State.
The offense is what is going to cover this spread for the Jayhawks. Agbaji is going to need to continue his run of success and lead the Jayhawks in scoring Tuesday night. It's going to be tough for them to be successful if he isn't on his game. He scored 24 in the loss last time out, so it clearly can't all be on him if they want to win. Guard Christian Braun is playing well this season also averaging 16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He's shooting 56% from the floor and so he alongside Agbaji can be a huge threat to Iowa State if they are on their game.
Final Iowa State-Kansas Prediction & Pick
I like Iowa State to cover this spread. They have lost two of their last three, but are still a really good team to be given 13 points on the road here. I think Kansas is the better team and will win this game, but I don't think it will be by that margin. Iowa State is 9-6 and Kansas is 7-7 against the spread this year.
Final Iowa State-Kansas Prediction & Pick: Iowa State + 13 (-110)
