Iowa State Cyclones vs Kansas Jayhawks Predictions: Big 12 Tournament Semifinals
Once again, the Kansas Jayhawks have rallied around adversity and advanced in the Big 12 Tournament, thanks to a dominant 78-61 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Up next is a tough Iowa State Cyclones squad that has found a resurgence in two straight matchups against Baylor. And with hoards of Cyclone fans descending on Kansas City, the Jayhawks likely won't enjoy a significant crowd advantage.
The Jayhawks made it clear that they are here to win the tournament, cementing their spot as the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. But with all the uncertainty swirling about Bill Self and his status for the rest of the postseason, will the Jayhawks be able to keep up their own hot shooting while shutting down a suddenly dangerous Iowa State offense. Will Kansas be able to turn "Hilton South" back into "Allen Fieldhouse East"? Our crew shares their thoughts below.
Do you disagree with our assessment? Make sure you read them all and then hop over to the Discord or on Twitter to share your own thoughts.
Kyle Davis
Check out our Iowa State Preview for Kyle's full breakdown and prediction.
Lucas Murphy
The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Mountaineers and will now take on the Iowa State Cyclones. This seems like a win for Bill Self type of game and really the entire tournament since we found out he will be out for the remainder. I expect a very good game and Jalen Wilson to take the charge in this game.
Kansas 80, Iowa State 76.
Derek Noll
I’m not sure how a KU team without Bill Self and a clearly in pain Kevin McCullar musters up enough to beat Iowa State, but it will definitely have something to do with KU’s three best players on Thursday equalling or surpassing their totals on Friday. Jalen Wilson drove the ball with intent, Gradey Dick shot well from three, and Dajuan Harris did, well, just about everything. Locking down Gabe Kalscheur is also a key to winning and I think Kansas does just enough to sneak into the championship game on Saturday.
Kansas 66, Iowa State 63.
Brendan Dzwierzynski
Brian Hanni pointed this out on the Jayhawk Radio Network at the end of Thursday’s game: at last year’s Big 12 Tournament, KU started playing it’s best ball and was cruising past everyone. Why not this year, too, with a team that had a very similar competitive profile?
Kansas 78, Iowa State 67.
Andy Mitts
If Brendan hadn't pointed it out, I was going to. This is a team that is eerily similar to last year's, from the late push for the conference title, to the struggles on the road late in the season, to the dominant victory over West Virginia to start the Big 12 Tournament. And with some questions about the roster coming into the postseason for both teams, this is a very eerie feeling.
Today's opponent is an Iowa State team that seemed just as hot as last year's TCU team, and I remember being worried about whether the Jayhawks were going to be able build on a great showing against a struggling West Virginia team. This year I know better. The absence of Bill Self isn't trivial, but this is much more of a player-led team than even last year's, and that experience will show up on the court.
Kansas 73, Iowa State 69.
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