College Basketball Betting – Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys

On paper this looks like it should be rout. The Kansas Jayhawks have won four in a row and seven of their last eight with the only setback to No. 1 Baylor. They are 16-3 overall on the season. The Oklahoma State Cowboys sit at the bottom of the Big 12 standings but got a boost by snapping a six-game losing streak with a win over Texas AM on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. It doesn’t count on their conference ledger, but the Pokes should be a more confident group when KU visits on Monday night.  Claim Your Welcome Bonus Here - $1000 Maximum

Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Date and Time: Monday, January 27, 2020, 9 p.m. ET

Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK

Opening College Basketball Odds: Kansas -8, O/U 134

Kansas at Oklahoma State TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

Oklahoma State hasn’t been favored in a regular season game against Kansas since the 2014 season, and it ain’t happening on Monday. It doesn’t matter what kind of trouble the Jayhawks get into they just keep winning. Minus two players following their involvement in the brawl with Kansas State, the shorthanded Jayhawks won their fourth in a row beating Tennessee, 74-68, on Saturday improving to 16-3 on the season. Their losses were to Duke, Villanova and Baylor, all of which are ranked in the AP top-10. The Cowboys didn’t face a ranked opponent during their non-conference schedule going 10-3 in those games, including Saturday’s win over the Aggies. However, they have yet to win a Big 12 game going 0-6 SU and ATS in conference play.

Kansas Jayhawks

When the dust settled after their brawl with the Wildcats last week, Kansas lost big men Silvio De Sousa and David McCormack leaving Udoka Azubuike as the only post presence. That will be the case again on Monday with De Souza out until the Big 12 Tournament and McCormack sitting the second of his two-game suspension. And like he did on Saturday, Azubuike will be called on to have another big game.

The Big 12’s leading rebounder with 9.4 per game, Azubuike is also second in blocks with 2.4 while averaging 12.9 points per outing. The Jayhawks needed him on Saturday and after some early foul trouble, Azubuike kept his cool and delivered 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to take down the Vols. When he went to the bench early with two fouls, Tennessee took advantage with a big run to take a 7-point lead, its largest of the game. The return of Azubuike later in the half sparked a 14-0 spurt to get the Jayhawks back on top and they never trailed the rest of the way.

You don’t win 16 of 19 games by accident and KU has other pieces that contribute in a big way. Devon Dotson continues to have a monster campaign putting up 22 points against Tennessee. He leads the Big 12 in scoring with 18.2 per game. He appears to be the key to beating Kansas. In the three losses he’s averaged only 13.7 points and had his lowest scoring game of the year with nine points in the 67-55 setback to Baylor.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Ending a six-game losing streak and picking up their first win of 2020, the Cowboys go in search of their first Big 12 victory. OSU took care of business during its non-conference slate, which didn’t provide much of a challenge. A win over Syracuse and Saturday’s triumph over .500 Texas AM were probably the highlights. Once conference play began the issues quickly rose to the surface.

OSU averaged 72 points in its first 12 non-league matchups going 9-3. Once Big 12 play started the offense disappeared. The Pokes failed to top 50 in their first three conference games scoring 57.5 through their first six, all losses. Things are headed in the right direction. After losing their first four by double figures, OSU led for most of the game until Baylor used a late run to take a 75-68 decision. That was followed by another 7-point loss at Iowa State, so at least the defeats were closer.

A balanced attack can give opponents a hard time as Texas AM found out. Five players reached double figures with Isaac Likekele leading the way with 13. As a team the Pokes shot 55.1 percent from the field in their best all-around game in some time. OSU averages 67.5 points with Lindy Waters III scoring a team-best 12.1 per game. That’s who they are, though. “We don’t have a star. If we have a game where you see one guy having 25 or 30 points that’s probably not very good for us,” coach Mike Boynton said.

Bet Kansas at Oklahoma State at BookMaker.eu

Even with their shortened roster the Jayhawks have a powerful lineup with support from Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett. They may not be as deep as OSU but the guys they have playing a majority of minutes are better than what the Cowboys have. OSU can keep this game close with its deep bench, but the Boys won’t have an answer for Azubuike and Dotson.

College Basketball Score Prediction: Kansas 74, Oklahoma State 65

Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today.

- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com