If buying low and selling high is what this is all about, then people should be flocking to the Kansas State Wildcats right now, and away from the Kansas Jayhawks.
The Kansas St. Wildcats maybe, just maybe, have finally hit their stride after a very poor start to the college basketball season. The Kansas Jayhawks have lost only the one game this year to Texas, but they’re 1-4 ATS in Big 12 action heading into Saturday’s Sunflower Showdown with their rivals from K-State.
Frank Martin has done some very good things in his four years in charge of the Wildcats. He earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors last March and took the program all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to those upstarts from Butler. But offense hasn’t really ever been K-State’s calling card under Martin. The Wildcats (14-7 SU, 5-10 ATS) have been brutal at free throws during his tenure:
The Wildcats run most of their offense through guard Jacob Pullen and forward Curtis Kelly, and both guys are struggling at the line this season compared to last. Kelly (20 of 44) has been particularly bad; he’s still working his way into shape after sitting out a six-game suspension for receiving “impermissible benefits.” But the Wildcats still managed to connect on 25 of 31 freebies (80.6 percent) in Monday’s 69-61 victory over the Baylor Bears (+6) in Manhattan. Maybe that’ll put a permanent end to the team’s 1-4 SU and ATS slump.
While Kelly rounds into form, the Jayhawks (19-1 SU, 8-10 ATS) have watched arguably their most important player go through some hard times. Freshman guard Josh Selby sprained his ankle in Tuesday’s 82-78 win over the Colorado Buffaloes (+7.5 at home); he stayed on the floor and led the ‘Hawks with 17 points, but they dropped the cash for the fifth time in six games. Those 17 points are the most Selby has scored since Big 12 play started.
Life as a freshman isn’t always easy. Selby (11.8 points, 3.0 assists in 26.6 minutes per game) was the No. 6-ranked recruit in the country at Scout.com and the No. 2 point guard behind Duke’s Kyrie Irving. His future was already written: a one-and-done season and a healthy living as an NBA lottery pick. But Selby was virtually invisible in the January 22 loss to the Longhorns , scoring just four points with one assist. Kansas is 0-4 ATS when Selby fails to score in double digits and 8-6 ATS when he succeeds.
The Jayhawks played with heavy hearts in Colorado. Lisa Robinson, the 43-year-old mother of sophomore forward Thomas Robinson, died last week of an apparent heart attack. Lisa was a single mother, leaving behind 19-year-old Thomas and his 7-year-old sister Jayla. According to the Lawrence Journal-World , the team chartered out to Washington, D.C. for Thursday’s funeral, which was nearly canceled because of a snowstorm that also prevented the Jayhawks from arriving at their hotel until 1:45 a.m.
Despite the bad weather, the charter made it back to Lawrence that evening and the Jayhawks got in a practice. The original plan was to have Selby fly to Baltimore for a second funeral for one of his best friends, who was reportedly murdered on Saturday. But he traveled with the team instead. Coach Bill Self said it was at the request of Selby’s family, and because of the snowstorm.
Robinson (8.0 points, 6.1 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game) stayed behind in D.C. and was expected to return on Friday. Whether or not he will play is a mystery, although it might not be by the time you read this. Check the local papers online and treat the betting odds for this matchup accordingly once they’re released.
NCAA Basketball odds makers are more than likely going to wait for some more information on this game before making a solid pick. This might cause some favorable early line movement. Keep checking the sportsbooks to see where you can find your best options to make some money.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment