Kansas vs. Iowa State Prediction and Odds and Key Players for Saturday, Jan. 27
By Reed Wallach
Two Big 12 contenders meet in Ames on Saturday afternoon in a closely lined match-up, but is this setting up to be an exhibition for one?
Iowa State has one of the best defenses in the nation and will look to overwhelm Kansas' team that has struggled on the road already in Big 12 play. It won't get any easier facing this Cyclones team that pressures the ball as well as any team in the country. How should we handicap this matchup?
We got you covered with a full betting breakdown for Saturday's matchup below:
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Kansas vs. Iowa State Odds, Spread and Total
Iowa State vs. Kansas Betting Trends
- Kansas is 7-11-1 against the spread (ATS) this season
- Iowa State is 13-6 ATS this season
- Kansas is 2-5 ATS on the road this season
- Iowa State is 11-2 ATS at home this season
- Iowa State is undefeated at home this season
Kansas vs. Iowa State How to Watch
- Date: Saturday, January 27th
- Game Time: 1:30 PM EST
- Venue: Hames H. Hilton Coliseum
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Kansas Record: 16-3
- Iowa State Record: 15-4
Kansas vs. Iowa State Key Players to Watch
Kansas
Kevin McCullar: McCullar has come on strong in his senior season, fresh off a monster outing against Cincinnati, scoring 20 points and dishing out five assists with three steals. He'll be counted on heavily against Iowa State's ball-pressure defense alongside point guard Dajuan Harris.
Iowa State
Tamin Lipsey: The freshman guard returned from a shoulder injury on Wednesday to lead the Cyclones to a double-digit home win against Kansas State. While he only scored eight points on 10 shots, he did dish out six assists. Can he outduel the veteran Harris at home?
Kansas vs. Iowa State Prediction and Pick
This is setting up to be a strong showing from Iowa State as I find Kansas one of the most overrated teams in the country at the moment.
The Jayhawks lack consistent three-point shooting, the team is shooting 33% at the lowest rate in the Big 12 in league play and the team has struggled on the road, losing to UCF and West Virginia outright, two of the three worst teams in the conference.
Iowa State is turning Big 12 foes over on nearly 26% of opponent's possessions. Further, the Cyclones play an incredibly compact defense, forcing teams to attack from beyond the arc, which is exactly what Kansas is not comfortable doing.
This season, Iowa State is top 10 in the country in opponent three-point rate, allowing 47% of field goals to be three-point shots. This season, Kansas is 323rd in three-point rate.
I believe Iowa State can stymie this Kansas offense and outpace the Jayhawks on the other end, especially with the team's sound transition attack that is top 30 in ShotQuality's points per possession.
To me, Iowa State is an elite team while Kansas profiles far closer to the middle of the pack. The gap between these two is far wider than this point spread indicates and I'll happily grab the home favorite at -4 or below.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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