Tag: Kansas

3 keys for Oklahoma basketball against Kansas

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) faces off against No. 6 Kansas (12-3, 2-1) in a crucial Big 12 matchup for both sides.

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) faces off against No. 6 Kansas (12-3, 2-1) in a crucial Big 12 matchup for both sides.

The Jayhawks come off a rare home loss against now No. 2 ranked Baylor (13-1, 3-0), losing to the Bears 67-55 and will without a doubt be looking to get back to their winning ways against the Sooners.

As for Oklahoma, they return home after getting a road split, losing their first Big 12 game of the season against Iowa State, 81-68. The loss does not come in a great part of the Sooners’ schedule with a trip to Baylor next Monday and Mississippi State coming to Oklahoma to play next Saturday as part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

However, Kansas has failed to leave Norman with a win each of the past two years against less talented Sooner teams.

MAINTAIN POSSESSION

Oklahoma against the Cyclones last Saturday failed to keep possession, turning the ball over 15 times. The Sooners need to hang on to the ball and value their possessions to find good looks which can be hard to find against the Jayhawks.

CONTAIN AZUBUIKE

Much easier said than done, Oklahoma has to find a way for Kansas’ star player, Udoka Azubuike to be either the only player that beats them or keep Azubuike from being a factor. Obviously the prior would be the most realistic as the Sooners, nor any other team in the country has the size and depth to keep Azubuike at bay.

CHEW THE CLOCK

Oklahoma had a ton of empty possessions against Iowa State. One problem that stood out over others was how quickly the Sooners were taking shots in the shot clock. Taking the shot clock down inside 10 seconds as much as possible should bode well for Oklahoma. With that being said, if there’s a good look early in the clock, you best believe the Sooners are going to shoot it.

Oklahoma and No. 6 Kansas can be viewed on ESPN. Tip-off is set for 8p.m. CT.

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When, where, how to watch, how to stream Oklahoma-Kansas

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) plays host to No. 6 ranked Kansas (12-3, 2-1) as part of ESPN’s ‘Super Tuesday’.

Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) plays host to No. 6 ranked Kansas (12-3, 2-1) as part of ESPN’s ‘Super Tuesday’.

The Sooners look to get their third straight home win against Kansas in Top Daug’s return home to Norman, Okla. Both teams are coming off of conference losses as Oklahoma dropped one against Iowa State on the road, 81-68 and Kansas lost a tough one against now No. 2 ranked Baylor (13-1, 3-0) at home.

With the big matchup, an old face makes his much-awaited return. Following a 15 season hiatus, Top Daug will be patrolling the baselines at the Lloyd Noble Center once again.

Here is how to watch, listen and stream the game if you cannot make the clash of Big 12 foes.

WHERE: Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)

WHEN: 8:00 p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)

HOW TO STREAM: WATCH ESPN

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Kansas at Iowa State odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Wednesday’s Kansas Jayhawks vs. Iowa State Cyclones sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Kansas Jayhawks (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) and Iowa State Cyclones (7-6, 0-1 Big 12) meet at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. We analyze the Kansas-Iowa State odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

The Jayhawks are ranked third in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Kansas at Iowa State: Three things you need to know

1. Kansas enters play 6-2 ATS in the past eight games overall, and 5-2 ATS in the past seven against teams with a winning overall record. However, it’s just 3-10 ATS in the past 13 games on the road.

2. Iowa State is 2-6 ATS in the past eight games against teams with a winning overall record, and is 0-5 ATS in the previous five as a home underdog.

3. The Jayhawks enter this game third in the nation in field-goal percentage at 50.9, led by F Udoka Azubuike at a ridiculous 81.1 percent (77-for-95). They’re 16th defensively with a 37.3 FG% against.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Kansas at Iowa State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:25 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Kansas 80, Iowa State 73

Moneyline (ML)

AVOID. Kansas (-286) will cost you nearly three times your return on investment, which just isn’t a good way to consistently win. For example, if you win three of these type bets and lose one, you end up about even. Why risk it? PASS and focus on the spread (below).

Against the Spread (ATS)

KANSAS (-6.5, -110) is a much better play laying the points over Iowa State (+6.5, -110). Not only has the road team cashed in six of the past eight in this series, which points to KU, the Cyclones are 2-6 ATS in the eight tries against winning teams and barely above .500 overall on the season.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 146 (-110) is the way to go here. Kansas has a very efficient offense, not taking a lot of bad shots while limiting turnovers. But, the Under is 7-3 in the Jayhawks’ past 10 overall. However, the Over is 5-1 in their past six against winning teams.

For Iowa State, it’s all Over, all the time. The Over is 7-1 in the Cyclones’ past eight as a home ‘dog, and 5-1 in the past six against teams with a winning record. The Over is also 3-0-1 in their past four following a straight-up loss.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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No. 1 Kansas made the wrong kind of history in loss to Villanova

DOWN GOES KANSAS.

These days, it seems like being the number one ranked team in college basketball is a curse. No one wants it.

Kansas was the latest top team to fall in a close game. They lost 56-55 to Villanova in a close game that came down to the wire.

With just a bit over 20 seconds left to play in the game, Villanova forward Jermaine Samuels hit what would essentially be the game winning shot with 20 seconds to play. Overall, the Wildcats shot 10-41 from deep, but they needed every single one of them — especially the last one — to seal the game against the country’s top team.

Kansas nearly hit a game winner themselves on the other end, but came up just short after Devon Dotson missed a final layup attempt.

At this point, just avoid the number one spot if you want to keep winning. Kansas is the 5th different team to lose after being ranked number one and the third team to lose a game within a week of gaining their ranking.

It’s already the most number ones to fall before January in the history of the top 25 poll, per ESPN.

Man, it’s going to be so good when we finally get to March. We’ve already seen a ton of upsets. Hopefully, for us, it only gets better from here.

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Hoopfest: Bryce Thompson thriving without stress of recruiting

Without the pressure of the recruitment process, Bryce Thompson is thriving.

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DALLAS – Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Oklahoma) combo guard Bryce Thompson had heard about the stress relief that accompanies a college commitment but didn’t fully understand the extent of it until he committed to Kansas earlier this month.

“I know people say this all the time, but it’s true; it’s really a weight lifted off of your shoulders,” Thompson said. “Just in practice and training I feel so much more relaxed and calmer.”

He used that newfound tranquility to score 27 points in the Hornets’ 79-72 loss to Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Missouri) Saturday at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.

Thompson said he developed a more dominant mindset this summer after leading the Under Armour Association in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game on the Oklahoma Run PWP.

“I just proved to myself what I could do on one of the biggest stages against some of the best players,” Thompson said. “I just hold myself with a higher standard when it comes to scoring.”

To that end, Thompson said he’s “already preparing” for Kansas in everything he does now, from training to mentality.

“College is the next level for me so preparing for a higher level only helps me in high school,” said Thompson, who added more than 5,000 followers on social media after committing to Kansas. “I have big goals and I want to be as prepared as possible for next year. I’m continuing to work on my ball handling and my jumping and my body; just anything that will put me in a better position to help Kansas, I’m in.”

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

CFP Rankings: Cotton Bowl Dream Dead for Notre Dame

Perhaps both Ohio State and Minnesota win Saturday, handing Michigan and Wisconsin their third losses of the year, but after that it gets tricky.

Although no games were played Tuesday night Notre Dame saw their hopes of ending their season in the Cotton Bowl for a second year in a row come to an unofficial end.

As the College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night, Notre Dame remained at number 16 in the country, still the lowest of any two-loss power-five teams and also still behind three-loss Auburn.

So as it sits with No. 16 Notre Dame having just one game remaining against an under-500 Stanford team that won’t count for much, even if it does end with a 50 point win for the Irish.

The problem is that Notre Dame has already routed better teams than Stanford in recent weeks and gained no ground.

Unless you can figure out a way that Notre Dame jumps six teams and gets into the top-ten, then they’re headed to Orlando for the Camping World Bowl against a Big XII team.

With the games remaining it’s hard to find six losses that are going to benefit Notre Dame.

Auburn losing to Alabama would probably finally get the Irish ahead of the currently three-loss Tigers.

Perhaps both Ohio State and Minnesota win Saturday, handing Michigan and Wisconsin their third losses of the year, but after that it gets tricky.

Kansas over Baylor or Rutgers over Penn State?  No help coming in either of those.

Same pretty much going for Colorado’s chances against Utah, Florida State’s to upset Florida.

Not only would Notre Dame need one of those to happen, they’d need three of the last four listed in order to have a chance, couple with those Auburn, Michigan and Wisconsin losses listed above.

As you can tell the chances at the Cotton Bowl are about as good as gone. so if interested you might as well get those flights booked to Orlando.

That’s the unfortunate reality when what happens in Ann Arbor in late October happen to you in front of a national audience.

 

Kansas at Iowa State odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturdya’s Kansas at Iowa State college football matchup, with college football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Kansas Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6) and Iowa State Cyclones (6-4, 4-3) hook up Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, for a Big 12 battle at noon ET.

We analyze the Kansas-Iowa State odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Kansas at Iowa State: Three things you need to know

1. The Jayhawks will not qualify for a bowl game yet again this season, but they haven’t been a pushover like recent seasons. They’re a respectable 3-2 ATS across the past five, and 2-2 ATS in the past four on the road.

2. Iowa State QB Brock Purdy has rolled up 3,203 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions while also running for seven scores. The Cyclones rank eighth in the nation, posting 326.3 passing yards per game.

3. Kansas ranks 120th in the country with 470.6 total yards per game allowed, 125th with 232.7 rushing yards per game allowed, and T-107th in points allowed at 33.1 per game.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Kansas at Iowa State: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Iowa State 45, Kansas 30

Moneyline (ML)

There is currently no moneyline available at the time of publishing.

Against the Spread (ATS)

KANSAS (+24.5, -110) has some decent skill position players like RB Pooka Williams Jr. and WR Andrew Parchment, so the Jayhawks are more than capable of hanging in a shootout. Make no mistake, Iowa State (-24.5, -110) is the better team here, but the Jayhawks have the tools to get involved in a shootout. Just ask the Texas Longhorns.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER (58.5, -106) is a tremendous play, as Iowa State’s pass attack is outstanding and Kansas has a very leaky defense. The best thing for over bettors will be Iowa State jumping out to a big lead and Kansas passing its way back into the game. It is surprising this line wasn’t in the sixties. Get in before it rises.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Amid furor, investigation finds no proof of racist chants at Kansas high school volleyball match

An investigation into a Kansas high school volleyball match found no proof of racist chants, despite concern about the investigation’s methods by the school alleging the racist behavior.

A high school volleyball match in Kansas brought allegations of racist chants by a homestanding team, only for a state association investigation to conclude that there was no proof that the alleged offensive behavior actually happened.

As reported by Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV, Piper (Kan.) High School student athletes accused Baldwin City (Kan.) High students of directing monkey noises at them. But a Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) investigation into the incident found that the reported sounds could not be verified by interviews or video footage that was reviewed by the KASB.

Here are the details of the investigation, as obtained by KCTV.

The report detailed how investigators used 37 statements from Baldwin City students, staff, parents and officials at the game, as well as a dozen in-person interviews, including three Piper students and their guardians. They also reviewed video a Baldwin City parent shot of the entire game.

According to the KASB, the investigation found that Piper students heard crowd noises and interpreted them as racially charged but there was no evidence that Baldwin City students made racially charged noises or chants.

While both school districts are allegedly moving on from the incident, Piper’s interim superintendent expressed frustration with the lack of students from his school that were interviewed as part of the investigation.

Here was the statement released by the aforementioned Piper superintendent, Blane McCann:

Today, a statement from Baldwin USD 348 was issued regarding an incident that occurred at a volleyball match between Piper High School and Baldwin High School. Piper students reported hearing racially charged comments directed toward them. The statement from Baldwin indicates investigators spoke to dozens of Baldwin students, staff, and parents. While Piper did decline the opportunity to co-sponsor the KASB investigation, the district did offer the investigators access to our players, coaches and administrators as needed to complete the investigations. Investigators spoke to only three Piper students and their guardians but failed to speak to any other Piper parents, coaches or athletic director as to their version of events at the contest.

From my perspective, I stand with the students of Piper and support their version of events and feel enough is enough. This is at least the fourth instance within the last three years of our students being subjected to racially charged comments while participating in student activities and athletic events at various schools. We are proud of our students in their resilience through extremely difficult situations that young people should never have to face.

As a society, we can no longer allow people to make excuses for unacceptable behavior that is disrespectful and dismissive of certain groups. Piper USD 203 students and staff will continue to treat people with respect and dignity going forward as we seek to maintain and improve our own district’s culture.

Oak Hill (Va.) four-star point guard K.K. Robinson still torn between Kansas and Arkansas

Four-star point guard K.K. Robinson will decide between Kansas and Arkansas on Thanksgiving Day.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) point guard K.K. Robinson will have a great reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving, and not just for the cliché reasons.

“I’ll be announcing my college decision on Thanksgiving,” said Robinson, a four-star senior who helped the No. 14 Warriors to two wins at the Phenom Hoops National High School Showcase last weekend. “I’m looking forward to that day.”

RELATED: Chosen 25 Basketball Rankings

To that end, Robinson has cut his list to Kansas and Arkansas and broke down what he likes about each school.

Kansas: “What stands out most with Kansas is the exposure that I’d get there, the fan support and the coaches. They have a lot of experience with smaller guards and getting them to the next level, which is big for me. Then they’re style of play is how I want to play. I know that I’d be really effective in that style of play.”

Arkansas: “I really like the new staff there. They haven’t really been on the national stage in a while and they’re committed to turning that all around. They want me to be a part of that turnaround and that’s big for me. Then that’s the hometown school so I like that part of it too.”

RELATED: Recapping the Early Signing Period

Robinson was quick to point out that, while he’s set his decision date, he’ still mulling the actual decision.

“I go back and forth a lot,” Robinson said. “Those are two great options for me, and I feel like both would be a good fit. That’s what makes it hard.”

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

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The Bryce Thompson Blog: This is why I chose Kansas…

Elite scoring guard Bryce Thompson did an exclusive blog breaking down the reasons behind his big decision.

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Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) combo guard Bryce Thompson picked Kansas over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina.

Thompson, five-star prospect led the Under Armour Association in scoring this past summer and gives the Jayhawks their third commit from the 2020 class.

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY