Kansas vs Oklahoma State Picks and Predictions: Cowboys Tame Screamin' Jayhawks

Last season, Big 12 play was the most competitive out of Power 5 conferences. It speaks volumes to how balanced this league really is. 

Kansas has one loss this season to Dayton but since that loss, the Jayhawks have been smashing competition and are on a seven-game winning streak. However, Kansas really didn’t take on any hard games during this win streak and will get their largest test since it started. 

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have lost three of their last four games. The Cowboys took home losses to Wichita State and Xavier and ended up losing to Houston on a neutral court. 

Does Oklahoma State have enough pieces on its roster to stun Kansas at home? Here are our betting picks and predictions for the Big 12 matchup between Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Kansas vs Oklahoma State odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Jayhawks opened as a 6.5-point favorite and haven’t moved since. The total, however, has seen some line movement since opening at 147. A couple of books are holding a 145.5 number while another is holding a 147.5 number. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Kansas vs Oklahoma State predictions

• Prediction: Oklahoma State +6.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 145.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Oklahoma State +6.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 1/4/2022 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Kansas vs Oklahoma State game info

• Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK
• Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2

Kansas at Oklahoma State betting preview

Injuries

Kansas: Remy Martin G (Questionable), Bobby Pettiford G (Out).
Oklahoma State: Chris Harris Jr. G (Out).

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Cowboys are 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 Tuesday games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Kansas vs. Oklahoma State.

Kansas vs Oklahoma State picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Despite the sterling 11-1 record, Kansas hasn’t really been tested much this season. The Jayhawks defeated Michigan State back on November 9, but haven’t faced another Top-70 team since. 

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has taken on three teams in the Top 75 and has lost each game by multiple possessions. Two of those games were at home, but - let's be real - the atmosphere is going to be a bit different tonight in Stillwater than it was against Xavier or Wichita State.

It’s all going to start with Oklahoma State’s defense, which is holding opponents to a 45.5% effective field goal percentage while limiting teams to 33.1% from long range and 43% from inside the arc. 

Of course, Kansas wants to dominate inside like it has done all season, scoring 58.8% from inside the arc. Again, Oklahoma State has been solid defending inside, but the Cowboys have struggled to hold teams off the offensive glass. Kansas is currently bringing down 34.5% offensive rebounds while Oklahoma State has allowed 31.5%. That’s an area where the Cowboys need to be better. 

And while the Cowboys have shot just 28.4% from downtown while scoring 53.7% from inside the arc, they don’t shoot a high percentage of threes to begin with. They’d rather fight on the offensive glass and earn foul shots consistently. That’s how the Cowboys have won games this season. 

The other thing that should help Oklahoma State stick around is bench depth. The Cowboys are using 41.4% of minutes with the bench and that could be crucial if this game becomes a bit more aggressive between. 

I’ll take the home team and the points. 

Prediction: Oklahoma State +6.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

I’m not extremely confident, but I like the Over as the line starts to decrease a bit. Oklahoma State and Kansas will both be looking to get to the charity stripe at a high rate in this game. 

Kansas and Oklahoma State both feature offenses that love to get out in transition and score before the defense can get back. 

You won’t see a whole lot of threes from Oklahoma State but you will see a bunch of second-chance opportunities from the group. On the other hand, the same can be said for Kansas. 

Both teams are extremely good at forcing turnovers and that should lead to some quick transition points.

Prediction: Over 145.5 (-110)

Best bet

I’m not sure if this game calls for a crowd to storm the court, but Kansas is ranked sixth in the nation going up against an Oklahoma State team that isn’t ranked. 

Who doesn’t love storming the court? Oklahoma State has a chance to pull this off at home. They’ll just need to hang around with many shots at the line and solid decision-making on the offensive end. 

Pick: Oklahoma State +6.5  (-110)

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