#2 Iowa State vs. Kansas Picks and Predictions: Can Cyclones Escape the Phog?
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Mon Jan 12, 2026, 10:25 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The Big 12 will likely be the best conference in college basketball once again. Sure I have plenty of bias towards this league, but it is impossible to deny the talent and depth within the Big 12. It shows, as the two best teams in the country are from this league, and one of the them heads on the road on Super Tuesday to a place where it is very tough to win (just ask the TCU Horned Frogs). The No. 2 ranked Iowa State Cyclones head to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the unranked Kansas Jayhawks. Will I be smart and bet against my Jayhawks? Let's find out with our favorite picks.
Best Bet: Iowa State/Kansas Over 148.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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#2 Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Basketball Insights
Milan Momcilovic and Iowa State head to Allen Fieldhouse, where they haven't won since 2017
The Cyclones have been freakishly dominant all year long, and probably have the single best win in all of college hoops, knocking off the Purdue Boilermakers in Mackey Arena by 23 as four point underdogs. They are 16-0 on the season, but sit just 9-7 against the spread. However, they get the job done in tough games, covering four of five single digit spreads this year (would've pushed instead of lost but St. John's hit a meaningless buzzer beating layup). But nothing comes easy in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks have been up and down all year, and their success is heavily dependent on Darryn Peterson being on the court, which doesn't happen as much as it needs to. However the Jayhawks have rallied for some good wins (even without him), and had a miraculous win over TCU at Allen Fieldhouse after being down nine points with just 74 seconds remaining in the game. Do they have enough magic to pull off this upset?
Matchup Information – Iowa State vs. Kansas – January 13
- Venue & Location: Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, KS)
- Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2025
- Kick Off: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Iowa State vs. Kansas Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of January 12, 2025 at 9:47 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Iowa State -4 (-109)
- Kansas +4 (-111)
Total
- Over 148.5 (-115)
- Under 148.5 (-105)
Kansas is just 1-2 in Big 12 play, losing to UCF and West Virginia on the road. They already suffered a home loss this year to the UConn Huskies, but they at least went down swinging. However, they lost by five as three point underdogs, and find themselves in a similar position on Tuesday night.
#2 Iowa State vs. Kansas NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
Darryn Peterson and the Jayhawks host the No. 2 ranked Iowa State Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday
Iowa State vs. Kansas Prediction: Iowa State Wins, Kansas Covers, Over 148.5
Best Bet: Iowa State/Kansas Over 148.5 (-112) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Full transparency, I bet this at over 143.5 when it first dropped on Monday afternoon. Clearly it has steamed up several points, but I still think we see north of 150 points in this contest. The Jayhawks are not afraid to run. They jump from No. 163 in pace up to No. 85 when playing at home, averaging over 71 possessions per game at Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State is fine with that, as they LOVE to get up and down the floor, ranking top 120 in pace.
The Cyclones offense is very efficient, the defense is just as good, but on the road they severely struggle to rebound on the defensive end of the floor. Iowa State is top 65 overall in defensive rebounding, but drop all the way to No. 352 in away and neutral contests. Sure, we only have a six game sample size, but cleaning up the glass as a short road favorite is incredibly important. The Jayhawks can certainly generate some second chance points in this matchup.
Defensively, Kansas is sound, but they are bottom 20 in forcing turnovers, leading me to believe the Cyclones can execute their offense to the fullest extent, giving us plenty of points on the scoreboard.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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