Iowa State to Test Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks were shocked by the Texas Tech Red Raiders last week, so they need to bounce back against the Iowa State Cyclones.

NCAAB basketball odds have the Jayhawks as red-hot favorites, but the Cyclones are better than advertised.

We’re expecting a close game between the Big 12 rivals.

• Game: Iowa State Cyclones (13-2) vs Kansas Jayhawks (12-2)
• Location: Allen Fieldhouse
• Day/Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET

Iowa State Cyclones vs Kansas Jayhawks

Visitors Face Rugged Schedule

It’s not an easy schedule for the Iowa State Cyclones, who face Texas, Texas Tech and TCU in the next week.

Therefore, beating the Kansas Jayhawks would go down nicely for Cyclones fans. They are 9-6 against the spread after failing to cover against Texas Tech and Oklahoma, but we think they’re better than that.

They were 12-0 before losing to Baylor 77-72 and Oklahoma 79-66. The most recent loss was average, but pushing top-ranked Baylor to within five points was an incredible effort.

Despite the loss, they covered the +7½ spread and the sportsbook is giving them more points against an easier team, so it bodes well.

Defense showed up for the Cyclones in a 51-47 victory over Texas Tech, which we think was their most outstanding win.

Aljaz Kunc had 13 points and nailed a late three to seal the deal.

“Offense is not our identity — defense is,” Kunc told ESPN. “When shots don’t fall, and we can’t get into our plays, and we can’t score a bucket, it’s what we do on the defensive end of the floor.”

Jayhawks Await Big Test

Losing a game by eight points as a -7 favorite isn’t ideal, so the Kansas Jayhawks need to bounce back after losing to Texas Tech.

It was a shock upset for a Jayhawks team that had looked excellent up until that point. They were riding a long winning streak, but playing consecutive road games might have tripped them up.

They are much better at home with a 7-0 record, which is why betting online markets are giving them so much respect. However, their most recent home win came against George Mason 76-67 as a 19½-point favorite.

We haven’t been overly impressed with Kansas so far, but it has time to recover. The offense ranks inside the top 10 in points scored and field goal percentage, but the defense struggles to break the top 150 in most categories.

It’s a classic game of offense vs defense, so the team that turns up with the right attitude could get it done.

Cyclones Live Underdog

We are confident in the Iowa State Cyclones beating Kansas straight up, but we’re happy to take them with the points.

Getting +13 points in this situation is ideal, and the Cyclones are our NCAA basketball best bet for Tuesday.

They are good enough to test the best team in the country, so there won’t be any excuses for getting blown off the court.

Take the Cyclones with the sizable head start.

Pick: Iowa State Cyclones +13