Kansas vs Iowa State Odds, Picks and Predictions: Ride With the Public in Big-12 Showdown

The Kansas Jayhawks and Iowa State Cyclones will square off in an important Big 12 clash on Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks have climbed back to within a game of first-place Texas in the Big 12 standings following a recent three-game skid.

The Cyclones are reeling and dropped three of the past four games overall while failing to cover in any of those outings. Iowa State also has three conference losses and now sits a game back of the Longhorns.

This is the second of two regular-season meetings, as Kansas narrowly topped Iowa State 62-60 in the first matchup back on January 14. 

Will the Jayhawks continue their upward ascension after their bump in the road, or can the Cyclones pull out of their nosedive and score a much-needed win? We’ll break it all down in our college basketball picks and predictions for Kansas vs. Iowa State on February 4. 

Kansas vs Iowa State best odds

Kansas vs Iowa State picks and predictions

The Kansas Jayhawks opened as a slight underdog despite carrying a Top-10 ranking. That has since changed, as money eventually poured in on them.

That’s likely two-fold, as the Jayhawks have posted just two wins outright in the previous five games, and because Kansas narrowly escaped against the Iowa State Cyclones in the previous meeting three weeks ago.

The offense was strong in the most recent outing for KU, however, as it was perhaps its best wire-to-wire performance during the entire Big 12 schedule. The Jayhawks belted rival Kansas State 90-78 last time out on Tuesday night, which was their highest offensive total since December 10 in Missouri.

Of course, defense continues to be an issue for these Jayhawks, as they have allowed north of 75 points in four of the past five outings.

The Cyclones have been rather sporadic on offense by either wetting the bed with 61 or fewer points in three of the past five outings or rolling up 77 or more points in the other three affairs. You never know who is going to show up for I-State, and that’s a problem for potential bettors.

Ultimately, the Jayhawks have been the more consistent team lately, win or lose, especially on offense. The Cyclones are just too Jekyll and Hyde for my liking. 

In addition, Kansas has won seven straight in the series dating back to March 16, 2019, and prevailed in eight straight regular-season matchups since Iowa State last won in Ames on January 5, 2019.

Although it’s always a little concerning siding along with the public (which is currently hitting the Jayhawks at a 4-to-1 clip), Kansas is still the right play on the moneyline. 

My best bet: Kansas moneyline (-110 at PointsBet)

Kansas vs Iowa State spread analysis

The Jayhawks have covered just twice in the past seven games overall, and Kansas is also just 2-5 against the spread in the past seven games against teams with a winning overall record.

However, Kansas has been able to stack covers lately, going 5-2 ATS in its last seven following a cover in the previous outing.

In addition, the road team has cashed in four in a row in this series, including Iowa State’s near-miss in Lawrence on January 14. The favorite is also 6-2 ATS in the previous eight meetings.

And while there is cause for pause backing Kansas, remember that Iowa State has failed to cover in each of the past four games overall, while going 0-for-4 in the past four tries against teams with an overall winning mark.

Iowa State has just been too inconsistent from an offensive perspective lately, and the Cyclones have been dominated in this series for the better part of the past four seasons.

Kansas vs Iowa State Over/Under analysis

The Jayhawks are pretty solid offensively, averaging 76.6 points per game on the season while consistently hitting from the field (46.3%) and from 3-point range (36.1%). 

If there is one Achilles’ heel for the team, it’s the free-throw line, where KU ranks No. 145 overall in the nation (72.4%). That’s rather middling for a contender, and the defending champs leave a lot of points on the floor — much to the chagrin of Over bettors.

Defensively, KU isn’t the best at defending against the three, allowing the opposition to convert at a 31.7% pace. Iowa State, as mentioned, has been up and down offensively, and overall manages just 70.9 ppg.

And if you think Kansas leaves a lot of points on the floor, you’ll really hate Iowa State’s free-throw percentage, which sits at a maddening 66.3%.

Defensively, I-State is solid, limiting the opposition to 61.4 ppg. The Cyclones' unit is tenacious, although they rank just 113th against the triple at 32.1%. If the Jayhawks can get their long-range shooting game going, it is going to be a good day not only for KU backers but Over bettors as well.

Kansas vs Iowa State betting trend to know

The favorite is 6-2 ATS across the past eight meetings in this series, while the road team has cashed in each of the previous four matchups overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for Kansas vs. Iowa State.

Kansas vs Iowa State game info

Kansas vs Iowa State key injuries

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