Three weeks after their first showdown of the season, the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks will meet once again this Saturday, this time in Kansas, in a battle for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference in this week’s college basketball spotlight matchup.
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Missouri can run with anyone
Could this be the year that the Missouri Tigers make their first Final Four run in school history? All systems seem to be a go for the Tigers, who are 25-2 straight up and 14-7-1 against the college basketball odds.
Missouri is fueled by the nation’s seventh most potent offensive attack, averaging 79.9 points per game. Missouri has five players averaging 10 points or more per game, led by Marcus Denmon (17.8 PPG), Kim English (14.2 PPG), and Ricardo Ratliffe (13.7 PPG). With all three players graduating after this season, this is Missouri’s window to make a special run.
The Tigers would love to add one more big road win to their resume before tourney time in March. As strong as Missouri has been this season, both of its losses have come on the road (to Kansas State and Oklahoma State), and the Tigers are just 4-5 ATS on the road compared to their 10-2-1 ATS record at home. Missouri did pick up a big road win last month at Baylor, and would make a huge statement with another one Saturday against the Jayhawks.
Before their meeting on the road with Kansas on Saturday, Missouri is set to face the Kansas State Wildcats at home on Tuesday. Missouri avenged its road loss to Oklahoma State last week with an 83-65 win at home.
Kansas strong at home against ranked teams
In a college basketball betting season where not many teams have truly emerged from the pack, the Kansas Jayhawks sit right near the top of the nation, and a win over Missouri would be a huge boost. Kansas is 22-5 straight up and 14-11-1 against the college basketball odds.
Kansas’ offense is run through forward Thomas Robinson and guard Tyshawn Taylor. Robinson leads the team in both points per game (17.7) and rebounds per game (11.8) while Taylor is second on the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game. Overall, the Jayhawks are 38th in the nation with 75 points per game.
Kansas has been dominant against ranked teams at home this season. The Jayhawks topped No. 2 Ohio State 78-67, No. 22 Kansas State 67-49, and No. 3 Baylor 92-74. Kansas has won nine straight at home since a surprising loss to Davidson back in December.
Like Missouri, Kansas also has a game this week before Saturday’s big showdown. The Jayhawks go on the road to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Wednesday night.
Will Kansas win the second Border War of the season?
Historically, the Jayhawks have dominated this hated rivalry. Kansas is 15-5 straight up in its last 20 games against Missouri and 5-0-3 ATS over its last eight. But none of that mattered earlier this month when the Tigers topped Kansas 74-71 at home.
How big of a difference will this one being played in Kansas have? It could be a very big one, considering how well Kansas plays at home and Missouri’s struggles on the road. Missouri hasn’t won at Kansas since 2003; Kansas is 9-0 straight up and 5-2-2 in its last nine home games against the Tigers. Kansas also has the added motivation of trying to avoid the season sweep.
Both teams are currently tied at 12-2 in Big 12 conference play. The winner of this game will have the inside track at a division title and potentially a higher seed in the tournament come selection time.
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