Kansas vs Oklahoma Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions
No. 7 Jayhawks Hit Road for Big 12 Clash at Sooners
Kansas is the top-scoring team in the Big 12 but in averaged 70.5 points in its last two road games, which is more than 10 points lower than the team’s season average.
Kansas is 4-1 in the last five meetings with Oklahoma, although the one loss came in the last game when the Sooners were playing at home. The Jayhawks are 1-4 against the college basketball spreads in the last five road games in the series.
This will be just the fourth true road game of the season for Kansas while Oklahoma is 8-1 at home.
Kansas (+160) has the best odds to win the Big 12 title while Oklahoma has the seventh-best Big 12 odds at +3300. The Jayhawks (+225) have the fifth-best odds to reach the Final Four. Oklahoma comes in at +2600.
Only Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis has better odds to win the national player of the year award than Kansas forward Ochai Agbaji (+700).
Game: Kansas (14-2) at Oklahoma (12-5)
Location: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma
Day/Time: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma Sooners
Agbaji Looks to Keep KU rolling
Ochai Agbaji’s versatile skills have the Kansas senior on the short list of top national player of the year candidates, but it is his ability to connect from three-point range that sets him apart.
Agbaji has at least two three-pointers in each of his last five games and, over the last three contests, he is 14 of 25 on three-pointers. He is already at 51 three-pointers on the season and is on pace to set a career high in the category after connecting on 78 treys in 30 games a season ago. Perhaps even more impressively, Agbaji has gone from making 35 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line in his first three years to shooting 47.7 percent this season.
He is also on the verge of a milestone, as Agbaji is two three-pointers shy of 200 in his career. He is a main reason why the Jayhawks lead the Big 12 by making 37 percent of their shots from long range.
People are certainly taking notice as Agbaji was named the Big 12’s Player of the Week.
It will be interesting to watch to see how Agbaji gets free against an Oklahoma defense that is allowing opponents to shoot just 30.1 percent from three-point range. Although Oklahoma has lost its last two games, the Sooners did hold opponents to 8 of 30 shooting from three-point range.
The total set by the Las Vegas odds has gone over in seven of Kansas’ last 10 games.
Turnovers Concerning for Sooners
Things were looking pretty good in the early stages of the season as the Oklahoma Sooners committed just 51 turnovers during a 4-0 start. However, turnover issues have become an issue of lat. Oklahoma has dropped three of its last four games and in the three losses, the Sooners committed 54 turnovers and gave up 29 steals.
Oklahoma ranks ninth out of 10 Big 12 teams in turnovers, committing 14.9 per game, and is last in turnover margin.
It is not all bad news in the turnover department. Oklahoma has eight players with more than 10 assists and only one of them has more turnovers than assists.
Jordan Goldwire leads the way with 61 assists and 39 turnovers. Goldwire does have multiple turnovers in 10 straight games.
“We’ve got to take care of the ball, we’ve got to rebound better,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser told the media recently. “I’ve been notorious, my teams, at taking care of the ball. We have high assists, low turnovers. A little bit of it is we’re trying so hard. Guys want to do well and they’re just forcing a couple things.”
Oklahoma is just 2-10 against the college basketball odds in its last 12 Big 12 games.
Martin Out Again for Jayhawks?
Kansas has won its last two games playing without guard Remy Martin, the Jayhawks’ third-leading scorer who is third on the team with 40 assists. He is considered to be questionable for Tuesday’s game.
Something to consider for those who bet online: The game features the two best shooting teams in the Big 12 as Kansas is connecting on 50.2 percent of its field goals and Oklahoma is at 49.9. Both teams are in the bottom half of the conference in field goal percentage defense so this has the makings of an offensive shootout.
Oklahoma is 6-2 when its games have gone over the total.
Kansas has had mixed results in recent trips to Oklahoma but look for that to change in this one.
