PREMIUM
GAME OF THE WEEK (Rogers' 10* NCAA!) >> 3-0 Last Saturday! 16-8 L24 10*s!
(NCAAB) Kansas vs. Oklahoma State,
Point Spread: 1.50 | -106.00 Kansas (Away)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 1.50 | -106.00 Kansas (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: No. 1 Kansas is 27-3 overall and at 15-2 in Big 12 play, has already clinched its 13th straight Big 12 regular season title. However, with a sellout crowd expected to energize Gallagher-Iba Arena on Senior Night, beating Oklahoma State will be no easy task. The Cowboys have won 10 of 12 to reach 20-9 overall and 9-8 in Big 12 play. OSU lost its first six league games but could just (should?) make the Big Dance as an at-large team due to its recent run. The last team to make the NCAA Tournament field after falling in their first six conference games was the 1985-86 Maryland Terps.
Kansas: The Jayhawks are hoping to nail down a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance and are favored to do just that. Senior PG Frank Mason III (20.3-4.0-4.9) is favored by many to be named Player-of-the-Year but Kansas' most exciting player is 6-8 freshman Josh Jackson (16.3 & 7.2). The Jayhawks do it all on the offensive end, except shoot free throws, Kansas averages 82.5 PPG (19th) on 48.6% shooting (16th), including 40.8% on threes (10th). However, the team makes only 65.7% of its free throws, ranking 307th.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys' turnaround has been a sight to behold. Sophomore guard Jawun Evans is second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.6) and assists (6.0 per game), fourth in steals (1.9) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1). Right behind Evans is junior wing Jeffrey Carroll, who is fourth in the league in scoring (17.0), fourth in field-goal percentage (53.8) and eighth in rebounds (6.7). He could join Georges Niang (Iowa State, 2015-16), Jordan Hamilton (Texas, 2010-11) and Kevin Durant (Texas, 2006-07) as the fourth player in league history to finish in the top 10 in each of those categories. Guard Forte (13.4) is the team's third double digit scorer and at 85.6 PPG (9th), the Cowboys are on pace to set a new school record for scoring average (83.5 in 1988-89) and on track to be the second-highest scoring squad in Big 12 history (Kansas averaged 90.9 points in 2001-02). Unlike Kansas, OSU makes its free throws, connecting on 78.4%, which ranks 4th in the nation.
The pick: OSU's play has Kansas' attention and it's hard to go against the Jayhawks in what is basically a pick-em game. Both teams can score but Kansas makes the kind of defensive stops the Cowboys haven't quite yet mastered. The Jayhawks also have proven time and time again this season that they can win the close ones. Kansas is a 10* play.
Kansas: The Jayhawks are hoping to nail down a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance and are favored to do just that. Senior PG Frank Mason III (20.3-4.0-4.9) is favored by many to be named Player-of-the-Year but Kansas' most exciting player is 6-8 freshman Josh Jackson (16.3 & 7.2). The Jayhawks do it all on the offensive end, except shoot free throws, Kansas averages 82.5 PPG (19th) on 48.6% shooting (16th), including 40.8% on threes (10th). However, the team makes only 65.7% of its free throws, ranking 307th.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys' turnaround has been a sight to behold. Sophomore guard Jawun Evans is second in the Big 12 in scoring (18.6) and assists (6.0 per game), fourth in steals (1.9) and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1). Right behind Evans is junior wing Jeffrey Carroll, who is fourth in the league in scoring (17.0), fourth in field-goal percentage (53.8) and eighth in rebounds (6.7). He could join Georges Niang (Iowa State, 2015-16), Jordan Hamilton (Texas, 2010-11) and Kevin Durant (Texas, 2006-07) as the fourth player in league history to finish in the top 10 in each of those categories. Guard Forte (13.4) is the team's third double digit scorer and at 85.6 PPG (9th), the Cowboys are on pace to set a new school record for scoring average (83.5 in 1988-89) and on track to be the second-highest scoring squad in Big 12 history (Kansas averaged 90.9 points in 2001-02). Unlike Kansas, OSU makes its free throws, connecting on 78.4%, which ranks 4th in the nation.
The pick: OSU's play has Kansas' attention and it's hard to go against the Jayhawks in what is basically a pick-em game. Both teams can score but Kansas makes the kind of defensive stops the Cowboys haven't quite yet mastered. The Jayhawks also have proven time and time again this season that they can win the close ones. Kansas is a 10* play.
