The Kansas State Wildcats are in Columbia, Missouri tonight for their second meeting with the Missouri Tigers. The Wildcats won the first get together 88-72 in Manhattan back on January 28th. The Big 12 matchup is set to get underway at 9:00pm ET at Mizzou Arena and will televised on ESPNU.
Kansas State vs Missouri College Basketball Picks at SBGglobal.com have the Tigers listed as a -9 against the spread home favorite.
Missouri is trying to claw their way to the top of the Big 12 standings, but they must get by the Wildcats this evening in order to have a shot at the conference title. The Tigers travel to Lawrence, Kansas on Sunday before concluding the year with games against Oklahoma and Texas A&M. A loss tonight would move them to 10-3 and likely eliminate them from the hunt.
The Tigers enter tonight's game with a 23-4 record and an eighth place ranking in the AP Poll. They have reeled off six straight wins since their loss to Kansas State, beating Baylor, Texas, Iowa State, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. The Buffaloes were their last victim as Mike Anderson's team beat them 66-53 in Boulder on Saturday.
Senior forward Leo Lyons scored 13 points and snagged 15 rebounds in leading Mizzou to its fourth conference road win. The Tigers also shot 50 percent from the floor and 92.3 percent from the free throw line in besting Colorado.
Mike Anderson has guided his unit to a perfect 16-0 at home this year. The Tigers are averaging 82.2 points per game at Mizzou Arena this season and giving up 65.1 in return.
Kansas State comes into this evening's conference tilt in fourth place in the Big 12 with a 7-5 conference record. They are 19-8 overall after winning their last two games against North Carolina Central and Iowa State. A win tonight would be huge for their NCAA Tournament chances as they currently sit 77th in the RPI.
The Wildcats last game was a 50-46 defeat of the Cyclones at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State managed just 30.2 percent field goal shooting against Kansas State's defense and an even more futile 11.8 percent from three point range. Freshman Jamar Samuels scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (five offensive) in the win.
Frank Martin's team is 5-3 on the road this year where they average 76.5 points per game and hold host squads to 64.8 per contest.
SBGglobal.com's Kansas State vs Missouri College Basketball Picks:
Kansas State Wildcats +9 (-110)
Missouri Tigers -9 (-110)
