No. 9 Kansas will travel to No. 5 Iowa State for a second consecutive top-10 Big 12 contest on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT on ABC, as Bill Self and the Jayhawks look to make it nine straight wins since winning by 21 vs. the Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 13. Kansas (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) is coming off a big one, an 82-78 home win over unbeaten No. 1 Arizona on Monday night, and Iowa State (21-3, 8-3 Big 12) is searching to rebound from a 62-55 loss at TCU on Tuesday. Here is a preview, key storylines and a prediction to get you ready for tipoff this weekend in Ames.
KANSAS VS. IOWA STATE GAME ODDS
Iowa State opened a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 142.5 points, up one point since opening. The line has moved to Iowa State -6.5 as of Friday night, despite the news that Darryn Peterson is planning to play. And by Saturday, while this might seem the opposite of what should happen given Peterson’s status, the Cyclones are 7 to 8-point favorites a couple hours prior to tip off, with the over/under up to 147.5 or 148.
KEY STORYLINE: CAN FLORY STAY HOT?
Kansas star forward Flory Bidunga is coming off one of his best performances of the season after putting up 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting against a deep Arizona team on Monday. He’s currently averaging 68.6% from the field and will be a key target for the Cyclones defensively, even with Peterson expected to be in the line up.
MATCH UP TO WATCH: WHO CREATES MORE?
Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. and Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey enter the game with a 0.3 difference in the assist column, and both players are seeing the floor 30 or minutes per night as of their second meeting. Council produced 23 points on 25 attempts earlier this week, and still found time for six assists. Who creates more in both columns could go a long way in this one.
PREDICTION: IOWA STATE 74, KANSAS 70
Iowa State finds itself in a crucial, must-win contest this weekend as a member of the AP’s Top 5. Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson are two big anchors to meet inside, and it’ll take another big night from Flory to keep pace with that duo offensively. A loss likely doesn’t change Kansas’ position all that much bracket-wise, but, for Iowa State, a second regular-season loss to the Jayhawks, and at home nonetheless, is a wrinkle on their resume heading into March. Self is 7-3 against T.J. Otzelberger, and the Cyclones trail Kansas 43-72 all-time in Ames.
