Free Big 12 Championship Pick – Saturday, March 13, 2010
#9 Kansas State Wildcats (26-6) v #1 Kansas Jayhawks (31-2)
The second-seeded and ninth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats will square off against in-state rivals the top-seeded and No.1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks in this evening’s Big 12 Tournament Championship bout at the Sprint Center in St. Louis.
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The Jayhawks have won 40 of the last 42 meetings, including both of this year’s regular season meetings, and owns a commanding 179-90 lead in the all-time series with the Wildcats.
Kansas State is coming off one the program’s best campaigns and is looking to cap it with their first-ever Big 12 Tournament title. KSU earned its first ever spot in the final by beating seventh-seeded Oklahoma State, 83-64, in the quarterfinals and upsetting third-seeded, Baylor, 82-75, in the semifinal round last night. Senior guard Denis Clemente and leading scorer Jacob Pullen combined for 50 of KSU’s 82 points in the win. Pullen, a 39.3 percent three-pointer shooter, led the way with 26 points on 5-of-10 three-pointers, while Clemente finished with 24 points and seven assists. Forward Dominique Sutton added a double double of 14 points and 14 boards. The ‘Cats defense is forcing 17.1 turnovers per game and continued its trend helping the squad to 22 points off 18 Baylor turnovers. KSU is ranked third in the conference in both points scored at 80.1 and allowed at 69.3.
The Jayhawks meanwhile, are aiming to improve upon their record six Big 12 Tournament titles, and are seeking their fourth crown in the past five years. They are currently on a four-game win streak, taking out ninth-seeded Texas Tech, 80-68, in the quarterfinals and then defeating fourth-seeded Texas A&M, 79-66, in the semifinals last night. Kansas trailed 38-35 at the half, but used a 21-2 run late in the second half to pull away for the victory. Sherron Collins, who paces Kansas in scoring (15.7 ppg) as well as assists (4.4 apg), led the attack with 26 points and six dishes, while freshman standout Xavier Henry (13.9 ppg) posted 15 points in the win. The Jayhawks shot an impressive 56.0 percent from the field including going 10-of-18 from three-point range. Six foot-eleven center Cole Aldrich ripped down a team-high nine rebounds against the Aggies. Aldrich contributes 11.3 ppg, to go with team highs of 9.9 rpg and 3.5 blocks per game and is a huge roadblock to the opposition in the paint.
The odds makers have the Jayhawks as –6 -point favorites in this one.
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The Jayhawks are making their eighth appearance in the Big 12 Tournament championship game and have really had their way with the Wildcats’ over the years and should be able to continue that trend this evening with another balanced effort. Although the K-State is firing on all cylinders, the Jayhawks are the Ferrari of the conference.
With better shooting and rebounding this one should go to the Jayhawks as they win by a close 4-point margin.
Kansas State Wildcats Basketball Betting Trends:
- Kansas State is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
- Kansas State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Kansas
- Kansas State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas State’s last 6 games when playing Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Betting Trends:
- Kansas is 17-1 SU in its last 18 games
- Kansas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Kansas State
- Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Kansas State
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas’s last 6 games when playing Kansas State
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