Jayhawks, Wildcats battle for Big 12 title
The North Division will supply the Big 12 basketball champion for a fifth straight season when, and for the fourth time in that span the winner will come from the Sunflower State. Kansas State will try and keep it from being rival Kansas for the fourth time in that span on Saturday when Frank Martin's Wildcats meet up with Sherron Collins and the Jayhawks at Kansas City's Sprint Center for a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN.
Bettors can’t ask for anything more when it comes to Saturday’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament championship game between No. 1 Kansas and No. 9 Kansas State at Kansas City's Sprint Center (6 PM ET, ESPN).
There isn’t a conference tournament that can match the drama the Big 12 is going to provide on Saturday night. The Jayhawks (31-2 SU, 13-16-1 ATS) are the top-ranked team in the country, but also the big, bad brother in the Big 12 – and in the state of Kansas.
The Wildcats (26-6 SU, 18-8-1 ATS) are just another program in the grand scheme of things, but all that can change – at least for this year – with an upset at the Sprint Center.
Both schools proved their mettle in Friday night’s semifinals, but it was Kansas that especially impressed this writer. Yes, the Jayhawks were supposed to get this far, but you have to like their ability to cover the spread when they don’t have their ‘A’ game.
Kansas didn’t put up its best performance in getting past Texas A&M 79-66 on Friday night, but it was how it played when the chips were down that makes it the sharp play against K-State.
Trailing by as many as nine points early in the second half against the Aggies, the Jayhawks battled back, and then completely shut down A&M in the final 10 minutes using a stifling 2-3 zone defense.
Texas A&M went ahead 57-56 on a Donald Sloan jumper with 8:52 remaining, but that was its last field goal until the final minute. Xavier Henry scored 11 of his 15 points during a decisive 21-2 run during the stretch that lifted Kansas to the win – and the payday as nine-point chalk.
Sherron Collins finished with 26 points and six assists to lead the Jayhawks, who improved to 3-1 ATS (4-0 SU) since falling 85-77 at Oklahoma State (+6) on February 27. The recent success at the window comes at just the right time for Kansas backers, who watched their team go a dismal 1-8 ATS (8-1 SU) prior to the last four games.
The Jayhawks shot 56% (28-for-50) from the field against the Aggies, including 55.6% (10-for-18) from downtown. Considering Kansas shot over 50% from the floor in its two wins over Kansas State in the regular season, that doesn’t bode well for the underdogs.
Not that poor field goal percentage defense stopped the Wildcats from covering as 2-point favorites in their 82-75 win over Baylor in the semis on Friday night.
The Bears made 27 of their 50 shots (54%) against K-State, which rode its two star guards to a hard-fought victory to reach the final. Jacob Pullen dropped 26 points in the win, while Denis Clemente went for 24 points and seven assists for the Wildcats.
Forward Dominique Sutton also had a big game with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and four steals for K-State, which is 7-4 ATS during a current 9-2 SU run since falling 81-79 in overtime to Kansas in Manhattan on January 30.
The loss was tough to swallow for the Wildcats, but they covered as 3½-point pups behind 22 points from Pullen. Clemente was held to 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting, while Cole Aldrich posted 18 points and 11 boards for the Jayhawks. Expect Aldrich to have a much better game in the final than he did on Friday night, and for it to facilitate a Kansas cover. The 6-foot-11 center had nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on 4-for-4 shooting against A&M, but he had four turnovers in a shaky first half.
The Jayhawks need Aldrich in the game to protect the paint against Pullen and Clemente’s dribble penetration. If Aldrich isn’t in the game, it’s a sign Kansas is in trouble.
The rivals met last Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse, and the Jayhawks cruised to an 82-65 win as 8½-point faves. Xavier Henry scored 19 points to lead Kansas, while Clemente netted 21 points for K-State. The Wildcats shot just 7-for-24 in the second half and had only four assists on 20 field goals.
Oddsmakers had yet to release a line or total for the Big 12 championship game as of press time. Make sure to check the college hoops’ live odds board for the latest spread on the matchup.
The North Division will supply the Big 12 basketball champion for a fifth straight season when, and for the fourth time in that span the winner will come from the Sunflower State. Kansas State will try and keep it from being rival Kansas for the fourth time in that span on Saturday when Frank Martin's Wildcats meet up with Sherron Collins and the Jayhawks at Kansas City's Sprint Center for a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN.
Bettors can’t ask for anything more when it comes to Saturday’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament championship game between No. 1 Kansas and No. 9 Kansas State at Kansas City's Sprint Center (6 PM ET, ESPN).
There isn’t a conference tournament that can match the drama the Big 12 is going to provide on Saturday night. The Jayhawks (31-2 SU, 13-16-1 ATS) are the top-ranked team in the country, but also the big, bad brother in the Big 12 – and in the state of Kansas.
The Wildcats (26-6 SU, 18-8-1 ATS) are just another program in the grand scheme of things, but all that can change – at least for this year – with an upset at the Sprint Center.
Both schools proved their mettle in Friday night’s semifinals, but it was Kansas that especially impressed this writer. Yes, the Jayhawks were supposed to get this far, but you have to like their ability to cover the spread when they don’t have their ‘A’ game.
Kansas didn’t put up its best performance in getting past Texas A&M 79-66 on Friday night, but it was how it played when the chips were down that makes it the sharp play against K-State.
Trailing by as many as nine points early in the second half against the Aggies, the Jayhawks battled back, and then completely shut down A&M in the final 10 minutes using a stifling 2-3 zone defense.
Texas A&M went ahead 57-56 on a Donald Sloan jumper with 8:52 remaining, but that was its last field goal until the final minute. Xavier Henry scored 11 of his 15 points during a decisive 21-2 run during the stretch that lifted Kansas to the win – and the payday as nine-point chalk.
Sherron Collins finished with 26 points and six assists to lead the Jayhawks, who improved to 3-1 ATS (4-0 SU) since falling 85-77 at Oklahoma State (+6) on February 27. The recent success at the window comes at just the right time for Kansas backers, who watched their team go a dismal 1-8 ATS (8-1 SU) prior to the last four games.
The Jayhawks shot 56% (28-for-50) from the field against the Aggies, including 55.6% (10-for-18) from downtown. Considering Kansas shot over 50% from the floor in its two wins over Kansas State in the regular season, that doesn’t bode well for the underdogs.
Not that poor field goal percentage defense stopped the Wildcats from covering as 2-point favorites in their 82-75 win over Baylor in the semis on Friday night.
The Bears made 27 of their 50 shots (54%) against K-State, which rode its two star guards to a hard-fought victory to reach the final. Jacob Pullen dropped 26 points in the win, while Denis Clemente went for 24 points and seven assists for the Wildcats.
Forward Dominique Sutton also had a big game with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and four steals for K-State, which is 7-4 ATS during a current 9-2 SU run since falling 81-79 in overtime to Kansas in Manhattan on January 30.
The loss was tough to swallow for the Wildcats, but they covered as 3½-point pups behind 22 points from Pullen. Clemente was held to 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting, while Cole Aldrich posted 18 points and 11 boards for the Jayhawks. Expect Aldrich to have a much better game in the final than he did on Friday night, and for it to facilitate a Kansas cover. The 6-foot-11 center had nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks on 4-for-4 shooting against A&M, but he had four turnovers in a shaky first half.
The Jayhawks need Aldrich in the game to protect the paint against Pullen and Clemente’s dribble penetration. If Aldrich isn’t in the game, it’s a sign Kansas is in trouble.
The rivals met last Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse, and the Jayhawks cruised to an 82-65 win as 8½-point faves. Xavier Henry scored 19 points to lead Kansas, while Clemente netted 21 points for K-State. The Wildcats shot just 7-for-24 in the second half and had only four assists on 20 field goals.
Oddsmakers had yet to release a line or total for the Big 12 championship game as of press time. Make sure to check the college hoops’ live odds board for the latest spread on the matchup.
