The Kansas State Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks do battle at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence tonight, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
The Wildcats have hit some troubled waters lately, winning just three times of their last five, although one of those wins came in Manhattan in the first meeting with the Jayhawks on January 17.
That loss to K-State really sent Kansas into a tailspin, as that touched off a three-game losing streak. Kansas picked up a 77-68 win at Kentucky on Saturday to stop the bleeding.
Can the Wildcats pull off the sweep in this Sunflower State battle, or will the Jayhawks exact a little revenge on their venerable home floor while getting back on track?
I break it all down in our college basketball betting picks for Kansas State vs. Kansas below.
Kansas State vs Kansas best odds
Kansas State vs Kansas picks and predictions
The Kansas State Wildcats stepped out of conference to take down Florida last time out in Manhattan on Saturday, winning 64-50 as a 4-point favorite.
Kansas State has picked up wins in three of the past four games while covering each of those outings. The Wildcats have had a flare for the dramatic, too, going to overtime in three of the previous nine contests, including the 83-82 win over the Kansas Jayhawks at home on January 17.
Keyontae Johnson was on fire in the first matchup for the purple-clad Wildcats, going for 24 points and eight rebounds with two steals and a blocked shot. Desi Sills came off the pine to score 24 points, too, hitting 7 of 11 shots from the field.
Kansas State was solid from downtown, hitting 41% (7-for-17) from behind the arc while hitting 42% (25-for-60) from the field. The Wildcats also got to the charity stripe a lot in that game, hitting 79% (26-for-33). K-State was also a +6 in the rebounding department while racking up 12 steals.
Kansas lost the first game because of its inability to hit from the perimeter, going 21% (6-for-29) while turning it over 15 times.
Jalen Wilson certainly did his best to help KU try to avoid the upset, dropping 38 points while posting nine rebounds and two blocked shots with three triples.
Kansas is going to get it done against Kansas State in the rematch at Allen Fieldhouse, but catching more than three buckets is quite a big number. This came down to a buzzer-beater in the first matchup and there's no reason to believe this won’t be another close battle.
My best bet: Kansas State +7.5 (-110 at PointsBet)
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Kansas State vs Kansas spread analysis
The Wildcats are solid offensively, scoring 77.1 points per game to rank No. 60 in the nation. Unfortunately, K-State isn’t a very good 3-point shooting team, so it's likely the Wildcats aren’t as sharp as the first matchup.
Conversely, the Jayhawks struggled from downtown, and that's likely to continue. Kansas State has tremendous perimeter defense, limiting the opposition to 28.4% from behind the arc, ranking No. 11 in the nation.
Kansas State has cashed in four straight games overall while going 11-2 ATS in the past 13 outings. The Wildcats are searching for their fifth consecutive cover in a single season since a 5-0 ATS run from January 10-22, 2018.
The Wildcats have picked up 10 covers in the past 11 games against winning teams, too, while going 35-17 ATS in the past 52 on the road.
K-State has been stacking covers, too, going 6-1 ATS in the past seven games following a cover. It's also 19-7 ATS in the past 26 following a straight-up victory.
The Jayhawks had won seven in a row in this series before the Wildcats posted the OT win two weeks ago. However, Kansas is 3-3 ATS in the past six meetings, including just 1-2 ATS in the past three. Three of the past six meetings have been decided by four points or fewer.
Kansas has failed to cover five straight on its home court while going 1-5 ATS in the past six games overall. In addition, the Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in the past six games against teams with a winning overall record.
Kansas State vs Kansas Over/Under analysis
Each of these teams is good for 76.0 or more points per game, so we should see plenty of offense. The first meeting easily went Over the number, but it also wasn’t able to be decided in regulation, and that obviously helped.
The trends for the Wildcats all point to an Over result for K-State. The Over is 7-3 in the past 10 games overall while going 13-3 in the past 16 games on the road. In addition, the Over is 17-5 in the past 22 games against teams with a winning percentage over .600.
For the Jayhawks, the Over has cashed in five of the past six games against winning teams, and Kansas has managed to cash the Over in five of the past seven outings following a cover.
Look for an Over result here, although it will certainly not be nearly as easy as the first game barring another OT game. Still, playing Over and Kansas State makes for a tremendous parlay opportunity.
Kansas State vs Kansas betting trend to know
The Wildcats are 10-1 ATS in the past 11 games against teams with a winning overall record, while the Jayhawks are just 1-5 ATS in the past six against teams with a record of .500 or better. Find more college basketball betting trends for Kansas State vs. Kansas.
Kansas State vs Kansas game info
| Location: | Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS |
| Date: | Tuesday, January 31, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
