With five teams inside the Associated Press Top 25 — including two schools (Baylor and Kansas) occupying the top 10 — the Big 12 continues to make its case for being college basketball’s premier conference this season.
It’s also an intriguing league for college basketball bettors since the highly competitive Big 12 has already produced its share of notable upsets this season.
Will Tuesday night yield more surprises? Props.com breaks down Tuesday college basketball betting odds for two high-profile matchups featuring a pair of top-15 teams hitting the road in Big 12 play.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 3 p.m. ET on Jan. 18.
No. 7 Kansas Vs Oklahoma
Tipoff/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN
Kansas: 14-2 SU (3-1 Big 12)/8-8 ATS
Oklahoma: 12-5 SU (2-3 Big 12)/8-9 ATS
Spread/Total: Oklahoma +3.5 (-105)/143
Last Meeting: KU defeated Oklahoma 69-62 as a 2-point neutral-site favorite in the 2021 Big 12 tournament quarterfinals (March 11, 2021)
About Kansas: The Jayhawks are 10-1 SU/6-5 ATS since their buzzer-beating loss to Dayton on Nov. 26. KU has the nation’s 13th-best scoring offense (tops in the Big 12), at 81.9 points per game. Among Big 12 schools, Kansas ranks first in 3-point proficiency (37.0%), second in assists (16.7 per game), and third in blocks (0.30 per game).
About Oklahoma: The Sooners have played six games decided by five points or less; they’ve split those contests SU while going just 1-5 ATS. That includes a pair of overtime defeats to Butler on Dec. 7 (66-62 as an 11-point home chalk) and TCU on Saturday (59-58 as a 1.5-point road favorite). Those close defeats have hindered Oklahoma’s NET ranking (36th nationally). In Big 12 circles, the Sooners rank fourth in 3-point proficiency (34.5%) and made three-pointers (7.5 per game).
What’s At Stake: Kansas can fortify its early Big 12 lead with a victory in Norman. Oklahoma, in turn, needs a win to avoid falling to ninth place in the conference standings.
Players To Watch
Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji, the Big 12’s leading scorer (20.6 points per game), also ranks second among Big 12 players in 3-point proficiency (47.7%). The Jayhawks’ star has racked up 20 or more points in three consecutive outings, while burying 14 of 25 three-pointers during this stretch (56%).
Oklahoma forward Tanner Groves leads the Sooners in scoring (13.1 ppg). The senior, who averaged 17.2 points/8.0 rebounds per game with Eastern Washington last season, has collected six-plus boards in five of his last six contests.
Notable Trends
- Kansas is 3-4 ATS in road/neutral-site games this season
- Oklahoma is 14-4 ATS in its last 18 as an underdog (3-1 ATS this season)
- The Sooners have cashed in seven consecutive games as a home ‘dog
- For Kansas, the Over is on runs of 12-5-1 overall and 5-1 on the road
- Over is 5-1 in Oklahoma’s last six as an underdog
- Kansas and Oklahoma averaged 136.1 combined points in their last seven series meetings. Only two of those seven topped Tuesday’s consensus total
- The total has alternated in the last nine series clashes, with the most recent staying Under
No. 7 Kansas vs Oklahoma Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:30 P.M. ET: DraftKings opened Kansas as a 3.5-point road chalk late Monday night, peaked briefly at -4.5 this morning, then spent the day bouncing between -3.5 and -4. Currently, the Jayhawks are -4, with ticket count and money just beyond 3/1 on the favorite. The total opened at 144 and bottomed out at 140.5 in the past hour, then ticked up to 141.5. The Over is getting 55% of tickets, but 76% of money is on the Under.
No. 15 Iowa State Vs No. 18 Texas Tech
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/ESPNU
Iowa State: 14-3 SU (2-3 Big 12)/11-6 ATS
Texas Tech: 13-4 SU (3-2 Big 12)/10-7 ATS
Spread/Total: Texas Tech -8 (-115)/128.5
Last Meeting: Iowa State clipped Texas Tech 51-47 as a 5-point home favorite (Jan. 5)
About Iowa State-Texas Tech: The Cyclones have cooled down from their 12-0 start, losing three of their last five games. During this span, Iowa State notched 73-plus points just once (in Saturday’s 79-70 win over Texas as a 2.5-point home underdog). Texas Tech had its four-game SU/ATS winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 62-51 loss at Kansas State as 4.5-point road favorite. Scoring could be at a premium Tuesday, as the Red Raiders rank 10th nationally in scoring defense (allowing 58.6 ppg). The Jan. 5 meeting produced 98 total points, falling well short of the 126.5-point total.
Notable Trends
- Iowa State is on positive ATS streaks of 10-4 overall, 8-1-1 as an underdog, and 4-1-1 on the road
- Texas Tech is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 home games and 6-1 ATS in its last seven after a non-cover
- Under is 5-2 in Iowa State’s last seven overall and 8-2 in Texas Tech’s last 10 overall
- Texas Tech is on a 6-0 ATS roll in this rivalry (5-0 ATS as a favorite)
No. 15 Iowa State vs No. 18 Texas Tech Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:30 P.M. ET: Texas Tech bounced between -7.5 and -8 a couple times late Monday night and early today at DraftKings, before settling in at -8. Then later this afternoon, the line made two trips to -8.5, and that’s where the number stands now. However, underdog Iowa State is attracting 76% of spread bets and 57% of spread dollars. The total has been on an up-and-down journey, opening at 126, falling to 125.5, climbing to 130.5 by midmorning, receding to 127.5 this afternoon and now sitting at 128.5. Ticket count and money are running 5/1 on the Over.
