Final Score: Kansas 70 – Iowa State 64
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -4.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Big 12 top seed Kansas and No. 2 seed Texas avoided missteps in the quarterfinals and appear poised to square off for the conference title, but Iowa State and TCU have other plans as we explore the NCAAB odds in the semifinals.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Friday, March 10, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at T-Mobile Center
It’s never easy to beat a team three times in the same season, but that’s just what Iowa State did with a quarterfinal win over Baylor. It’s never easy to beat Kansas once in a season, much less twice, and that’s what the Cyclones look to do to the Jayhawks in a semifinal matchup.
Cyclones Rule Glass Against Bears
Iowa State got the Big 12 party started on Wednesday with a 78-72 win over Baylor, pulling away with a 13-1 run late in the second half to pull off the mild upset as a 4.5-point underdog at the best sportsbooks.
T.J. Otzelberger’s squad completely smoked Baylor on the glass with a massive 44-17 rebounding edge, including a whopping 21 on the offensive end. Gabe Kalscheur sank 6-of-11 from 3-point range to lead the Cyclones with 24 points, and Tamin Lipsey had a double-double (13 & 11).
With head coach Bill Self sidelined with an undisclosed ailment, Kansas got off to a bit of a slow start against West Virginia before Jalen Wilson put the Jayhawks on his shoulders to lead them to a 78-61 decision against West Virginia.
Kansas closed as 3.5-point chalk, and Wilson finished with a game-high 22 points while adding 11 rebounds. The Jayhawks shot better than 52% for the game.
Rivalry History & Betting Trends
The Cyclones and Jayhawks split their regular season matchups with home wins, and are meeting for the 257th time in the long-running rivalry. Iowa State’s win in early February ended a string of seven consecutive wins for Kansas in the series.
- Iowa State covered both contests this season, giving up 1-point in the win at home and getting 7.5 in a 62-60 loss at Lawrence.
- ‘Under’ bettors are currently on a 5-game run in the rivalry.
- Their last meeting in the Big 12 Tournament came in the 2019 Championship Game, a 78-66 win for Iowa State as small chalk.
Jayhawks Rock Chalk
Kansas is showing up on BMR’s live odds as 4.5-point chalk with the total available at 129.5-130.5. There will be plenty of Iowa State fans inside T-Mobile Center, but their team isn’t going to catch the Jayhawks near as flat-footed on the glass as Baylor was. KU and the ‘Over.’
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -4.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports
NCAAB Pick: Over 129.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
TCU Horned Frogs vs. Texas Longhorns
Friday, March 10, 2023 – 09:30 PM EST at T-Mobile Center
All of those Midwesterners on hand for the Iowa State-Kansas clash will need to file out quickly and turn T-Mobile Center over to a couple of teams from the Lone Star State in the nightcap when TCU takes on Texas.
Texas Favored by a Bucket
BetOnline sent its numbers out in the wee hours of the morning, and it’s the Longhorns carrying modest 2-point chalk with 147 for the total.
Frogs Win With Offense, ‘Horns With Defense
With Texas forward, Timmy Allen on the bench resting a sore leg, the Longhorns’ depth stepped up in his place to lead Texas to a 61-47 decision against Oklahoma State that easily covered the 6-point chalk on NCAAB odds boards.
Dylan Disu’s layup with 8 minutes to go in the first half broke a 15-all tie, and Texas pulled away at that point thanks to solid defense on the part of the Longhorns and poor shooting by the Cowboys. Disu finished with 11 points, one of five Texas shooters in double figures.
The Horned Frogs fought through their off-court adversity and a partisan Kansas State crowd for an 80-67 win over the Wildcats in a game that closed with TCU backers giving up a bucket.
Turnovers – 20 of them – plagued Kansas State throughout the game, while TCU’s shooting touch from outside played large in the final score that saw neither team score in the last two minutes and 42 seconds of the game, a true gift to ‘Under’ bettors on a 147.5-point total.
Rivalry History & Betting Trends
In a rivalry that dates to the old Southwest Conference and before, the Horned Frogs and Longhorns are colliding in a rubber match after both sides won hard-fought home games against one another in the regular season.
- There was just a 6-point combined margin of victory in the two contests, Texas scoring a 79-75 win in Austin back in January and TCU scoring a 75-73 win in Ft. Worth nine days ago.
- Underdogs covered both meetings this season, and have covered the last four.
- TCU beat Texas 65-60 in the quarterfinals of last year’s Big 12 Tournament.
TCU Spoils a 1-2 Matchup in Big 12 Finals
Given the craziness in the conference during the regular season, surely we can’t expect the tournament to go off according to the seeding. Give me the Horned Frogs in an outright upset plus the ‘Under’ for my college basketball picks.
For Lone Star State residents looking to bet on this game, you can check out our top Texas betting sites.
Final Score: TCU 70 – Texas 69
NCAAB Pick: TCU ML (+125) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
NCAAB Pick: Under 147 (-110) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
