Iowa State at Kansas
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Editor's note: Brian's college hoops picks are absolutely on fire. He went 5-0 on Saturday and since Jan. 12, Brian owns a 31-17 record (65%) for 12.6 units of profit. Sign up for Tuesday's picks or you can win from now through the conference tournaments with his season package.
As usual, Kansas (15-4 straight up, 9-9-1 against the spread) find itself atop the Big 12 standings after winning its first six games in league play. The Jayhawks will put their unbeaten conference record on the line Wednesday night vs. Iowa St. at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Most books opened Kansas as a nine-point home favorite early Tuesday night. There was no overnight total.
Bill Self's team has posted a 4-1-1 spread record against Big 12 competition. KU avenged an embarrassing loss at TCU last season by blasting the Horned Frogs by a 91-69 count Saturday in Ft. Worth. The Jayhawks easily took the money as 14.5-point road favorites. The 160 combined points flew 'over' the 138.5-point total.
Andrew Wiggins was the catalyst at TCU. The freshman sensation scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. Freshman center Joel Embiid logged only 19 minutes of playing time before fouling out, but he still managed 14 points, six boards and three blocked shots.
Embiid has come on strong in recent weeks. The future lottery pick has scored in double figures in nine of KU's last 10 games, averaging 13.3 points per game. He has blocked 17 shots in the last four contests, including eight rejections in a narrow home win over Oklahoma St.
For the season, Embiid is averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Embiid has blocked a team-high 53 shots and he's making a team-best 67 percent of his attempts from the field.
Wiggins is averaging a team-high 15.8 PPG. Wiggins, another future lottery picks, is pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game.
Iowa St. (15-3 SU, 9-7 ATS) snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 81-75 win over Kansas St. as a 9.5-point home 'chalk.' But the Cyclones failed to cover for a fourth straight time after allowing Will Spradling to bury four 3-pointers in the last eight minutes.
Melvin Ejim led ISU to victory with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Georges Niang added 18 points for the Cyclones.
Fred Hoiberg's squad has been an underdog just once this season. In that situation, ISU won 90-88 at BYU as a seven-point 'dog.
KU has only lost at home once to San Diego St. on Jan. 5. The Jayhawks are 4-4-1 ATS at home.
After cashing in back-to-back games, the 'over' is 8-7-1 overall for ISU.
The 'over' has cashed at an 8-2 clip in KU's last 10 games. The 'over' is 11-7 overall for the Jayhawks, 5-3 in their home games.
The 'over' is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these Big 12 rivals.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets
Cincinnati stud center Justin Jackson left Sunday's win at Temple early in the first half with an injured ankle. Mick Cronin told the media Tuesday after practice that Jackson is 'questionable' for Thursday's game at Louisville. However, Jackson told Fox Sports Cincinnati, "I'm a machine. I'm playing." If he can't go, Cronin would have to adjust his starting lineup for the first time this year.
Although Florida 6-10 power forward Damontre Harris remains suspended for the rest of the season, he is back practicing with the team. Harris sat out last season per transfer rules after coming to UF following a solid freshman campaign, but his insubordination in November prompted Billy Donovan to dismiss him from the team. After exploring transfer options, Harris went back to Donovan and asked for another chance. Donovan told Harris he would have every chance to earn a spot back on the roster next season, so he enrolled in school for the spring semester. Donovan announced to the media on Monday that he recently began practicing with the team again.
Xavier head coach Chris Mack announced the indefinite suspension of reserve forward Jalen Reynolds on Tuesday. Reynolds was a role player off the bench, but he always brought energy and athleticism. He was averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes of playing time.
Illinois St. forward John Jones is out for the next six weeks after breaking a bone in his foot. Jones has started 13 games this season, averaging 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Nebraska has dismissed junior guard Deverell Biggs from the program. After a two-year stretch in junior college, Biggs signed with Nebraska and was redshirted last year. Biggs was suspended for the first two games of 2013-2014 for a DUI arrest in early 2013. He played 15 games for the Cornhuskers and was the squad's third-leading scorer (9.9 PPG). The last straw appeared to be missing a film session this past weekend, prompting head coach Tim Miles to prevent him from playing in Sunday's home win over Minnesota. Biggs, who was the first in-state recruit for Nebraska in a decade, was also arrested Jan. 5 for driving with a suspended license. He is an Omaha product who led his high school to three consecutive state titles. Biggs can transfer to a school and have one year of eligibility remaining.
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Editor's note: Brian's college hoops picks are absolutely on fire. He went 5-0 on Saturday and since Jan. 12, Brian owns a 31-17 record (65%) for 12.6 units of profit. Sign up for Tuesday's picks or you can win from now through the conference tournaments with his season package.
As usual, Kansas (15-4 straight up, 9-9-1 against the spread) find itself atop the Big 12 standings after winning its first six games in league play. The Jayhawks will put their unbeaten conference record on the line Wednesday night vs. Iowa St. at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Most books opened Kansas as a nine-point home favorite early Tuesday night. There was no overnight total.
Bill Self's team has posted a 4-1-1 spread record against Big 12 competition. KU avenged an embarrassing loss at TCU last season by blasting the Horned Frogs by a 91-69 count Saturday in Ft. Worth. The Jayhawks easily took the money as 14.5-point road favorites. The 160 combined points flew 'over' the 138.5-point total.
Andrew Wiggins was the catalyst at TCU. The freshman sensation scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. Freshman center Joel Embiid logged only 19 minutes of playing time before fouling out, but he still managed 14 points, six boards and three blocked shots.
Embiid has come on strong in recent weeks. The future lottery pick has scored in double figures in nine of KU's last 10 games, averaging 13.3 points per game. He has blocked 17 shots in the last four contests, including eight rejections in a narrow home win over Oklahoma St.
For the season, Embiid is averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Embiid has blocked a team-high 53 shots and he's making a team-best 67 percent of his attempts from the field.
Wiggins is averaging a team-high 15.8 PPG. Wiggins, another future lottery picks, is pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game.
Iowa St. (15-3 SU, 9-7 ATS) snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 81-75 win over Kansas St. as a 9.5-point home 'chalk.' But the Cyclones failed to cover for a fourth straight time after allowing Will Spradling to bury four 3-pointers in the last eight minutes.
Melvin Ejim led ISU to victory with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Georges Niang added 18 points for the Cyclones.
Fred Hoiberg's squad has been an underdog just once this season. In that situation, ISU won 90-88 at BYU as a seven-point 'dog.
KU has only lost at home once to San Diego St. on Jan. 5. The Jayhawks are 4-4-1 ATS at home.
After cashing in back-to-back games, the 'over' is 8-7-1 overall for ISU.
The 'over' has cashed at an 8-2 clip in KU's last 10 games. The 'over' is 11-7 overall for the Jayhawks, 5-3 in their home games.
The 'over' is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these Big 12 rivals.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets
Cincinnati stud center Justin Jackson left Sunday's win at Temple early in the first half with an injured ankle. Mick Cronin told the media Tuesday after practice that Jackson is 'questionable' for Thursday's game at Louisville. However, Jackson told Fox Sports Cincinnati, "I'm a machine. I'm playing." If he can't go, Cronin would have to adjust his starting lineup for the first time this year.
Although Florida 6-10 power forward Damontre Harris remains suspended for the rest of the season, he is back practicing with the team. Harris sat out last season per transfer rules after coming to UF following a solid freshman campaign, but his insubordination in November prompted Billy Donovan to dismiss him from the team. After exploring transfer options, Harris went back to Donovan and asked for another chance. Donovan told Harris he would have every chance to earn a spot back on the roster next season, so he enrolled in school for the spring semester. Donovan announced to the media on Monday that he recently began practicing with the team again.
Xavier head coach Chris Mack announced the indefinite suspension of reserve forward Jalen Reynolds on Tuesday. Reynolds was a role player off the bench, but he always brought energy and athleticism. He was averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.1 minutes of playing time.
Illinois St. forward John Jones is out for the next six weeks after breaking a bone in his foot. Jones has started 13 games this season, averaging 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Nebraska has dismissed junior guard Deverell Biggs from the program. After a two-year stretch in junior college, Biggs signed with Nebraska and was redshirted last year. Biggs was suspended for the first two games of 2013-2014 for a DUI arrest in early 2013. He played 15 games for the Cornhuskers and was the squad's third-leading scorer (9.9 PPG). The last straw appeared to be missing a film session this past weekend, prompting head coach Tim Miles to prevent him from playing in Sunday's home win over Minnesota. Biggs, who was the first in-state recruit for Nebraska in a decade, was also arrested Jan. 5 for driving with a suspended license. He is an Omaha product who led his high school to three consecutive state titles. Biggs can transfer to a school and have one year of eligibility remaining.
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