Kansas vs Iowa State Odds & Picks: Jayhawks Defense Keeps Them In The Game

Something has to give when two surging Big 12 heavyweights clash Wednesday night. No. 2 Iowa State has won 11 straight, and has covered in eight of its last 10. Ninth-ranked Kansas has won five out of six, and covered in every victory over that span. The Cyclones are a 5.5-point home favorite over the Jayhawks in Ames.

Iowa State’s lone loss so far this season was a two-point defeat to now top-ranked Auburn in the Maui Invitational, where the Cyclones (14-1 outright) still covered as a 3.5-point underdog. Their ATS cover rate of 66.7 is seventh-best nationally among power-conference programs, according to data at TeamRankings.com. Kansas (12-3) after a rough December has righted the ship behind its defense, and covered in its both conference road games it’s played thus far.

Kansas vs Iowa State Odds Today

Odds as of January 15 at Sportsbook

Kansas vs Iowa State Picks Today

Kansas +5.5 (-102) & UNDER 144.5 (-115) at Sportsbook

Iowa State returned the top four scorers from the team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament last season, and augmented that nucleus with transfers from Charlotte, Northern Illinois, Seattle and St. Mary’s. The results thus far have been fantastic—a toe-to-toe matchup with perhaps the best team in the country in Auburn, a victory over Marquette, a 4-0 start in the Big 12, the top-scoring offense in the conference, and consistently strong performance ATS.

Kansas also has a loaded, veteran lineup anchored by center Hunter Dickinson and guards Zeke Mayo and Dajuan Harris. But after a rough patch that included a home loss to 13.5-point underdog West Virginia to open Big 12 play, the Jayhawks have regrouped behind a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 55 points in its last three games. For the season Kansas is limiting opponents to 36 percent shooting and 62 points per game, which respectively rank sixth and 14th nationally.

Will that defense travel to Hilton Coliseum? This is a serious step up in class from the likes of UCF, Arizona State and Cincinnati, whom the Jayhawks have dispatched rather easily over their past three conference games. But that’s also a big number against an opponent like the Jayhawks, whose stifling defense promises to keep them in the game even if they fall short of winning outright.

The Jayhawks’ defense has been so pronounced, that Kansas has gone UNDER in 13 consecutive games and in 14 of 15 games so far this season. That translates to a 93.3 percent UNDER rate which is tops in the nation, according to TeamRankings. Iowa State has split its last six against the total, but the UNDER remains the play given how dominant that trend has been for Kansas even against high-caliber opponents

Kansas vs Iowa State Prop Bet Today

Curtis Jones OVER 16.5 points (-120) at Sportsbook

Jones may come off the bench, but he’s still Iowa State’s leading scorer with an average of 17.3 points per game. Recently, though., the senior guard has been coming up huge—26 at Texas Tech, 23 against Utah, 20 against Colorado, 23 against Iowa. He’s a rangy shooter-and-slasher who’ll be a tough matchup for the Jayhawks, regardless of their defensive prowess of late.

Kansas vs Iowa State Betting Trends