Kansas Basketball at Iowa State Predictions: Bouncing Back Again
The Kansas Jayhawks head out on the road again this weekend, hoping to avoid the losses that they saw once in each of the last two weeks. But the opponent coming up is one that Kansas may find a bit tougher than UCF or West Virginia: the Top-25 ranked Iowa State Cyclones.
The Jayhawks have been dealing with some key injuries and a very shallow bench, while the Cyclones are hoping that Tamin Lipsey is back fully from his injury. With both teams looking for a leg up in the conference race, can Kansas avoid a third road loss, or will they be able to steal one away from home against a team they only play once this season?
Do you disagree with our assessment? Make sure you read them all and then hope 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.
Derek Noll
I haven’t predicted Kansas to lose yet this season, and that changes today. If Kansas couldn’t get it done in meltdown losses at Central Florida and West Virginia, nothing is pointing toward getting the road woes figured out in the toughest non Allen Fieldhouse environment in the league. Besides, we know that Kevin McCullar has a knee problem and Hunter Dickinson has looked like a shell of his former self recently and Kansas needs those guys to go off in order to win up in Booville. So yes, Iowa State wins their Super Bowl today just like UCF and WVU did the last few weeks.
Iowa State 80, Kansas 66.
Brendan Dzwierzynski
Iowa State does not play pleasant, aesthetically pleasing basketball. At all. This feels like a game that will be a scrap, and with that in mind it also feels like a game in which K.J. Adams could serve a massive role. When KU needs someone to be in the right spot and to make a “winning play,” however you want to define that phrase, it’s often Adams who picks up the slack. This is especially important given McCullar’s aforementioned injury and the attention that Dickinson draws from opposing defenses. You don’t need to play perfect basketball to win this game, I think you just have to be tougher, and I’ll go out on a limb and say that this is an inflection point this season that will change how we feel about this Kansas team for the better.
Kansas 67, Iowa State 65.
Andy Mitts
This Iowa State team is extremely strange. They have a fantastic defense, disrupting everything the opponent tries to do. But they don't turn the defense into offense very well. They actively avoid fast break opportunities, preferring instead to set u60p their "offense". The problem is that they don't have many sets on their offense. Instead, they play what is best described as "street ball", where the players read the situation and try to make something happen. Unfortunately, that means that it is harder to plan specific defensive sets to counteract that type of offense. But Kansas has some of the best on-ball defenders in the conference, and Kevin McCullar and Dajuan Harris should make it very difficult for Iowa State to score. I just don't know if Kansas can score enough with a banged up Dickinson and McCullar, unless Nick Timberlake finally finds his shooting stroke.
Iowa State 64, Kansas 60.
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