NCAA Basketball Betting – Tigers vs Jayhawks
The No. 3 Missouri Tigers had a chance to claim sole possession of first place in the Big 12 conference with a win over Kansas State on Wednesday, but they came up short.
Date/Time: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 25, 2012
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
Now they will travel to Lawrence to take on conference leader No. 5 Kansas, as the conference’s top two scoring teams do battle on Saturday at the Phog.
Missouri didn’t have much success hosting the Wildcats, and turned in perhaps their worst conference game performance of the year, losing in Big 12 play, 78-68.
A terrible outing for a team that was perfect 15-0 at home, and leads the league in scoring (73.7) and is second in field goal percentage (48.1) in conference play.
Tigers’ stud guard Marcus Denmon has been fearless when going to the rim, and put up 19 points against KSU, but it was Mike Dixon, Jr. who led the Tigers with 21 points while Ricardo Ratliffe led both teams with 14 rebounds.
Denmon, will need to be spot on against the Jayhawks. The pocket-sized wing guard put on a show with 29 points and 9 rebounds against Kansas, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range the last time the two teams tangled.
In fact, if it weren’t for Denmon’s play, I’m not sure the Tigers would be where they are, and if Kansas’ Thomas Robinson wasn’t playing this year, he would probably be a lock for the 2011 Big 12 Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Robinson, although not the leading scorer in the contest, was a factor in Kansas’ ugly win against Texas A&M, with a game-leading 13 rebounds. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Jayhawks’ junior forward is legit, and has played well all season, putting up 25 points and 13 rebounds in spite of Mizzou doubling up on him the first time the two schools met.
Robinson is the main reason why Kansas is second in conference scoring (73.5) and leads in field goal percentage (48.4). The Jayhawks also lead the league in rebound margin (+5.7 to Missouri’s -1.0).
While KU might not be deep, they are rock solid. But the Tigers are dynamic and fearless.
However, the key to this game will be the battles in the paint. KU is probably better suited for it, because of its inside strength and ability to get the ball inside and that will be enough to win the game.
Free Pick: KU
