Jayhawks, Wildcats set for Kansas showdown

NCAA basketball betting players will have a huge game on their plate on Wednesday as a pair of top-five teams will do battle in the state of Kansas. Kansas hasn’t lost in 58 games at home, by far the longest in the country, and they’ll aim to protect their home court, as well as clinch the Big 12 regular-season title, with a win over Kansas State, who hasn’t lost since an overtime loss to the Jayhawks.

Kansas State vs Kansas odds – Wednesday, March 3, 8:00 PM ET

The No.5 Wildcats (24-4, 11-3) dropped Missouri 63-53 at home on Saturday, led by 14 points off the bench from Jamar Samuels. Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen had 11 points each for Kansas State, who shot 33.9% from the floor, but held the Tigers to 31.7% from the field. This game was probably won at the foul line, as the Wildcats were 21-of-34, while Missouri was only 9-of-13. You may get better odds in an online super casino than someone beating the Jayhawks in Lawrence, but if anyone can, it’s Kansas State, as you can never underestimate the power of a state rivalry.

The No.2 Jayhawks (27-2, 13-1) will be looking to bounce back from their first conference loss of the season as they fell 85-77 at Oklahoma State on Saturday, and their defense let them down. The Cowboys shot 60.4% from the field against a Kansas team that is usually much better at the defensive end of the floor. Sherron Collins paced the attack with 22 points, while freshman Xavier Henry continued his fine play with 17 points, but the Jayhawks couldn’t stop the Cowboys from scoring at will. Cole Aldrich, the Jayhawks’ man in the middle, was benched for most of the second half, and that was Bill Self trying to send a message to a team that may have been complacent with a No.1 ranking.

Kansas will be favored at home in Allen Fieldhouse, where they have won 59 straight. Kansas State has lost eight of their last 10 against Kansas, and they’ve won just once in their last 17 trips to Lawrence. The first meeting was an 81-79 overtime win for the Jayhawks at Kansas State on January 30^th, when Collins fought off a back injury to score 16 points, including a few big baskets in the second half. The Jayhawks will try to force Clemente and Pullen into taking bad shots in this game, as the Wildcats don’t have much for scoring outside of their guards. Also, look for a big game from Aldrich, who had 18 points, 11 boards and three blocks in the first meeting, and he’ll be hungry after being benched against Oklahoma State.

College basketball betting pick: Kansas