Joel Tyson
West Virginia (+5) at SYRACUSE
I know Syracuse has won and covered the last 3 meetings in this series, but I don't trust them at all right now laying any kind of wood to anybody!
Jim Boeheim's team is on a 2-6 straight up and against the spread slide. That slide includes 3 straight home losses both straight up and against the spread!
West Virginia hasn't been playing all that well either, but with a chance to improve their post season resume, look for Bob Huggins' team to play another close one on the conference road where they have covered 3 of their last 4 in Big East play.
Syracuse hangs on for the outright, but the Mounties cash the ticket at the payout window,
1♦ WEST VIRGINIA
Michael Cannon
West Virginia at SYRACUSE (-5)
Take Syracuse as the home chalk over West Virginia.
I know the Orange are having a heck of a time right now, but I can’t see them failing to cover this number against an overmatched Mountaineers team.
It’s true Syracuse has lost six of eight, but we’re talking about highly-ranked teams such as Pitt, Georgetown and on the road to Louisville on Saturday.
Trust me, the Mountaineers don’t possess that kind of threat that Syracuse can’ t get by here.
The Orange have won three straight in this series and 16 of the last 19 meetings with the Mountaineers.
Lay the points with Syracuse for the home win and cover.
3♦ SYRACUSE
Chris Jordan
Kansas (-5) at KANSAS STATE
Not sure what the oddsmakers are thinking here, there could be a number of contributing factors, but they've left this one a bit short.
Kansas State is a rival, I understand that. And coach Frank Martin could get the sedated ward of a mental institution fired up. But the Jayhawks are going to have no trouble pulling away late in this one, to win with ease and cover the rather small number.
The Jayhawks have been dominating of late, outscoring their last six foes by an average of 18.4 points. Now you factor in a team they've dominated, and I don't see how the momentum slows down.
They've owned Kansas State, winning 42 of the last 44 battles, and yes, that includes an incredible 26-1 run at Kansas State.
The 'Hawks are also on a 9-2 spread streak in Manhattan.
In the first meeting, Kansas embarrassed the Wildcats, winning 90-66 at home on Jan. 29. Now, as the newly polled No. 1 team in the nation, I expect the Jayhawks to be at their best and prove their worthy of this ranking.
3♦ KANSAS
Chuck O'Brien
Kansas (-5) at KANSAS STATE
For today’s complimentary selection, take Kansas as a road favorite at Kansas State. Ever since getting punked by Texas 74-63 on Jan. 22 – which snapped their 69-game home winning streak – the Jayhawks have been unstoppable, winning six straight games, including five straight blowout victories over Kansas State (90-66), Texas Tech (88-66), Nebraska (86-66), Missouri (103-86) and Iowa State (89-66).
That’s right: Five straight wins by 17 points or more with an average final score of 91.2-70 and Kansas outshooting those five conference foes by a 56% to 40% margin! The most lopsided victory was the 24-point rout of these Wildcats on Jan. 29. In that game, the Jayhawks made 62% of their shots and limited K-State to 33.8%, and they had a 37-31 rebounding edge (in fact, Kansas is +61 in rebounds during its six-game winning streak!).
While the Jayhawks have been rolling, the Wildcats – after Saturday’s heartbreaking last-second 58-56 loss at Colorado – are just 4-6 SU and 3-7 ATS in Big 12 play. Granted, Kansas State is 3-0 SU and ATS in its last three home games, but look at the competition: Texas Tech, Baylor and Nebraska. That’s not exactly Kansas, which (by the way) beat Texas Tech, Baylor and Nebraska by margins of 22, 20 and 20 points.
With last month’s 24-point victory over K-State, Kansas is riding a seven-game winning streak in this rivalry, and its 6-1 ATS mark during that winning streak is part of a 20-6 ATS run against the Wildcats (all as a favorite). The Jayhawks are also a perfect 5-0 on the Big 12 highway this year (4-0 ATS last four), and with last Monday’s rout of Missouri they’re now 20-7 ATS in their last 27 in the Big Monday spotlight. Meanwhile Kansas State is mired in ATS funks of 3-11 overall, 3-12-1 as an underdog, 0-5 when catching less than seven points and 2-11 when facing teams with a winning record.
5♦ KANSAS
Bobby Maxwell
Kansas (-4') at KANSAS ST.
For my comp winner, Kansas has dominated its in-state rivals lately, winning seven in a row and getting the cash in six of those seven. The Jayhawks have won two in a row at Kansas State and they’ll get today’s win and cover with relative ease.
Kansas has already beaten the Wildcats once this season, blowing them out 90-66 as a 10-point home favorite back on Jan. 29. The Jayhawks made 34 of 55 shots and won the rebounding battle. They are now 20-6 ATS in the last 26 matchups and will improve on that number today.
Kansas State has had a tough time this season and fell at Colorado on Saturday, losing 58-56 as a one-point underdog. The Wildcats have been giving up 70 points a game and 50 percent shooting in their last five games, and that’s not a good thing with the high-flying Jayhawks coming to town.
The Jayhawks have averaged 91.2 points per game over their last five games and shot 55.9 percent from the floor. They’ve won six straight games and destroyed Iowa State on Saturday 89-66 as a 19 ½-point favorite. They’ve won three of their last four roadies by 20 points or more and they are a perfect 7-0 on the highway this year.
This team has been a cashing machine and Kansas comes in on ATS surges of 20-7 on Mondays, 5-0 in Big 12 action, 5-0 after a straight-up win and 9-2 when they go to Manhattan, Kansas. The Wildcats are on ATS skids of 3-8 in Big 12 play, 3-11 overall and 2-10 against teams with a winning percentage better than .600.
Love Kansas in this matchup. Lay the chalk and go with the Jayhawks.
4♦ KANSAS
Scott Delaney
Tennessee State (+4') at TENNESSEE TECH
State has already knocked off Tech once this season, and could score the season sweep with a win tonight.
This should be closer than the line suggests, which would mean a last-possession game. But that's how I see it, as these are closely matched teams.
The Tigers are 8-7 in Ohio Valley play and have a legit chance of moving from sixth to fourth place in the standings, but desperately need this win to shake their funk.
I know Tech is 10-6 in conference play, and is also looking to move up in the standings, but I don't trust its defense, as its given up as many as 105 points this season - to Tennessee-Martin.
State has lost five of six, and must approach this with a sense of urgency tonight. I'll take the points.
1♦ TENNESSEE STATE