College Basketball Betting Picks: Kansas vs. Kansas St

You can usually throw out the records in the Sunflower Showdown in college basketball as it is renewed on Monday night in Big 12 action with No. 8 Kansas visiting struggling but still dangerous Kansas State. The Jayhawks are solid favorites on the NCAAB odds. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #8 Kansas vs Kansas State | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 14 NCAAB

How to Bet Kansas at Kansas State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 9 PM ET
Where: Bramlage Coliseum
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Kansas -4.5 (total 145)

Last Season

The teams split last season, each winning at home. It was 83-82 in overtime in Manhattan for Kansas State. Wildcats star Senior Keyontae Johnson’s lob dunk from fellow senior Markquis Nowell with 25 seconds left in overtime proved to be the game-winner as K-State snapped a 7-game losing streak to its longtime rival in the 298th meeting and in the first top-15 matchup since 2013. Kansas had one last chance with 11 seconds remaining, but Ish Massoud was able to force Dajuan Harris, Jr., into a turnover on the baseline with only a few seconds left to preserve the victory. It was the 16th overtime game in the series history and the first since 2014. The Jayhawks hold a slight 9-7 lead in those in overtime games with the Wildcats winning the last 2 (2014, 2023).

Why Bet on Kansas?

No. 8 Kansas (18-4, 6-3) moved into a tie for first in the Big 12 with Houston by beating the No. 4 Cougars 78-65 on Saturday. Houston got out to a slow start as the Jayhawks opened a 23-11 lead. Johnny Furphy scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half to help Kansas take a 43-28 lead into the locker room. The Cougars, who lead the nation in field goal defense (35.5%) allowed Kansas to shoot 68% (17 of 25) in the first half. Houston had not allowed more than 30 points in a first half all season.

“I didn’t anticipate getting off to that good to start,” KU coach Bill Self said. “We thought the best way to attack them was to use all 50 feet wide and 47 feet long, and then hopefully be able to play behind their aggressiveness to start the game. We did that perfectly.”

Week 14 NCAAB Game Picks Odds Subject to Change	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
Kansas State	+4.5	+160	U 145
Kansas	-4.5	-220	O 145

Why Bet on Kansas State?

Kansas State (14-8, 4-5) is not an NCAA Tournament team as things stand and enters on a four-game skid after losing 75-72 at Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Following Wright‘s basket, the OSU lead bounced between two and nine points the rest of the way. For the game, K-State shot 46.8% to OSU’s 44.1% and both sides made nine three-pointers. A 14-5 free throw advantage swung the game in the Cowboys’ favor. They knocked down 5-of-8 from the line over the last 2:00 to make a 70-66 lead stand up.

The Wildcats have been led by the trio of returnee Cam Carter and transfers Arthur Kaluma (Creighton) and Perry (North Texas), who all average between 14 and 16 points per game. They are the only consistent scorers on the roster, and other teams have figured this out. Taking them away has been a top priority for opponents. That has left K-State often trying to win with defense.

K-State has lived life on the edge at times this year and throughout coach Jerome Tang’s tenure; at one point in nonconference play the Wildcats went to overtime four times in six games. But Tang remains 10-0 in the extra period as their coach, including the win over KU in Manhattan last year.

Over the past few weeks, the Wildcats have gone from first place in the Big 12 standings to below .500 in conference play. Not long ago, the NCAA Tournament felt like a lock. Now the NIT appears more likely. Tang decided to shake things up and go with a new lineup against the Cowboys. He moved senior forward Will McNair and junior wing David N’Guessan to the bench in favor of freshman guard Dai Dai Ames and sophomore forward Jerrell Colbert as the Wildcats went younger and smaller.

“We have got to figure out how we’re going to compete for 40 minutes,” Tang said after the OSU loss. “We have enough talent. They just kicked our butts to the 50/50 balls. That was a credit to Mike (Boynton) and his staff, getting those guys ready. They competed harder than we did at times. You can’t pick and choose. We’re not good enough to pick and choose when we’re going to compete and win games in this league.”