No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday, 2/9/13, 4:00 PM EST, TV:  ESPN
Opening Point Spread:  Kansas -3
Current Betting Line:  Kansas -4.5
Opening Total:  132
Current Total:  134.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Kansas has dropped back-to-back games, including a 62-55 setback to the TCU Horned Frogs as 17-point road favorites Wednesday night, while going UNDER the total for the eighth time in 10 contests.  “All teams go through funks, but we’re certainly in probably the worst funk that I’ve ever seen a Kansas team be in,” stated Jayhawks coach Bill Self.  The Jayhawks haven’t lost three consecutive games since Feb. 14-21, 2005.  Kansas is 5-2 ATS as road favorites of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus years, which is important to consider when looking over the college basketball odds page.

The Jayhawks lead the nation in allowing opponents to shoot just 35.6 percent from the floor, while pacing the Big 12 Conference in outscoring foes by an average margin of 13.4 points.  Kansas is led on the offensive end by guard Ben McLemore, who happens to lead the Big 12 freshman class with a 16.3 scoring average.  He would surpass Danny Manning’s school record 14.6 points per game for a first-year player if the season ended today.

Oklahoma has lost three of its last four games, including a disappointing 83-64 defeat to the Iowa State Cyclones as 5.5-point road underdogs last time out, while going OVER the posted total of 143.  The Sooners have struggled from beyond the arc in their last two affairs, as they’ve managed to knock down just 6 of 30 tries in that span.  In Big 12 play, the team has knocked down just 34 shots from 3-point range, which pales in comparison to its opponents 67 makes from the distance.  Oklahoma is 4-2 ATS at home this season, which can’t be ignored when making your college basketball picks against the spread.

The Sooners are 7-3 in games decided by seven or fewer points this season, which is an improvement from their 4-5 mark in that situation a year ago.  Oklahoma has shot under 70 percent from the charity stripe in its last four games, which is quite a departure from finishing over that number in 10 of its previous 11 affairs.

Sports bettors will likely back the Sooners due to their 5-2 ATS mark at home versus a team with a winning road record, while the Jayhawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 conference games.

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