College Basketball Betting – Jayhawks Try To Close On Buckeyes

After a busy weekend in college hoops, a new week opens with only two nationally ranked teams hitting the hard-court. The No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks can take another step toward reclaiming the top spot in the country when they renew their in-state rivalry with the Kansas State Wildcats on Monday, two nights after the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their first defeat of the season.

Meanwhile, the No. 12 Syracuse Orange will try to avoid their worst home losing streak in 49 years when they host the West Virginia Mountaineers, an opponent they have dominate in recent meetings. Here are a couple of key college basketball betting previews:

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Kansas Jayhawks @ Kansas State Wildcats

Monday, 9:00 PM ET

No. 2 Kansas will try to continue to keep pace right behind the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the latest installment of the Sunflower Showdown.

Perhaps more pressing for the Jayhawks is the amount of time they have left to catch the top seed in the Big 12, as a 74-63 loss to No. 11 Texas remains the difference between the teams in the conference standings.

Kansas won’t get their shot at revenge against the Longhorns through the rest of the season, and will likely need to go perfect the rest of the way to have a shot at catching Texas.

The Jayhawks will have a shot to catch both if they can win and the Longhorns lose this week, after Ohio State suffered its first loss of the season at Wisconsin this past weekend. Kansas has outscored its opponents by an average of 18.4 points per game since the loss to Texas, with guard Jacob Pullen leading the way with an average of 18 points per game.

Given that the Jayhawks have beaten Kansas State in 42 of the last 44 meetings overall, there is no reason to think that trend won’t continue, something that Wildcats’ head coach Frank Martin has braced for against the team he has admitted he feels is still the best in the country.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Kansas Jayhawks

West Virginia Mountaineers @ Syracuse Orange

Monday, 7:00 PM ET

Times have been tough at the Carrier Dome recently, where the No. 12 Orange have dropped three in a row heading in to Monday night’s game against West Virginia. Syracuse fans will be happy to see the Mountaineers arrive in New York, a team that they have beaten in eight straight games at home.

The Orange have struggled mightily under the pressures of a tough conference schedule, losing six of their last eight, including back-to-back losses to Georgetown and Louisville on the heels of wins over Connnecticut and South Florida.

The three remaining home games on their schedule are all against unranked opponents, so it will be crucial to capitalize at home down the stretch. West Virginia has lost three straight games against ranked opponents, but they did register wins at Georgetown and against Purdue earlier in the season.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Syracuse Orange