The Kansas Jayhawks will go from one huge rivalry to the next when they face the Kansas State Wildcats this afternoon in Manhattan. Kansas lost to the Missouri Tigers 60-62 on Monday night in Columbia, Missouri, giving them their first conference loss of the season. Their Sunflower Showdown with the Wildcats is set to tip off at 3:30pm ET and will broadcast live on ABC.
Kansas vs Kansas State Free College Basketball Picks at SBGglobal.com are favoring the Jayhawks on the moneyline.
Kansas, after Monday night's loss to the Tigers, is now 8-1 in Big 12 play and 19-5 overall. Despite the slip up in Columbia, the Jayhawks are still in second place in the conference standings, but only by a half game over Missouri. Prior to the Big Monday loss, Bill Self's team had won eight straight games.
Kansas' failure at Mizzou Arena must have been particularly hard to swallow given that they blew a 14 point halftime lead. The Jayhawks performed better than the Tigers in almost every statistical category, but they were unable to overcome a staggering 26 turnovers. They also shot poorly from beyond the arc, connecting on just 13.3 percent of their long range attempts.
The lone bright spot for Kansas was center Cole Aldrich. The sophomore grabbed a game high 15 rebounds and blocked five shots.
The Jayhawks, who are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 Big 12 games, have won just four of their seven away games this season. They are averaging 71.6 points per game in conference road action while holding Big 12 host teams to an average of 62.4.
Kansas State started the conference season in horrendous fashion, losing their first four Big 12 games to Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Baylor. They have, however, rebounded in a big way in recent weeks, reeling off six straight conference wins. The Wildcats latest victim was the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Frank Martin's squad grabbed a huge 30-6 lead and never relenquished it, going on to win 85-73 at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night. K-State had four players in double figures and they outrebounded Tech 32-22. They also forced Pat Knight's club into 16 turnovers.
The 17-7 Wildcats are an impressive 12-2 at home this year and they have held Big 12 visitors to an average of 67.8 points per game at Bramlage. Kansas State has dropped in 71.2 per game in conference home outings.
Kansas, who leads the all-time series with the Wildcats 176-90, is 29-2 against Kansas State since the Big 12 conference formed.
SBGglobal.com's Kansas vs Kansas State Free College Basketball Picks:
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State Wildcats
