Iowa State Cyclones vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction & Match Preview - January 16, 2021 | NCAA Men's Basketball
The No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks will host the Iowa State Cyclones in a Big 12 showdown on Saturday afternoon.
This is the first matchup of two for the in-conference rivals this season. Kansas dominates the overall series with a 120-50, winning the most recent matchup by 20 points, 91-71, in February 2020.
The Jayhawks remained as the No. 6 team for the second straight week in the AP Top 25 Poll. However, they will likely see a significant drop after losing to Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.
Match Details
Fixture: Iowa State Cyclones vs Kansas Jayhawks - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, January 16, 2021, 2 PM ET
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks Preview
The Kansas Jayhawks will be looking to bounce back after an unexpected loss to the unranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, 75-70.
The result handed the Jayhawks their second loss in the Big 12, and they will now have to dig themselves out of a hole to catch the conference leaders - Baylor and Texas.
Here is what Kansas head coach, Bill Self, had to say about his team's conference standings,
Certainly, it's getting to the point where there's less than zero margin for error moving forward.
To limit their chance of error moving forward and get back in winning form against the Iowa State Cyclones, the Kansas Jayhawks will need to shoot better from behind the arc.
The 11-time Big 12 tournament champions shot poor from three against the Cowboys at 23.8 percent, 12.3 percentage points worse than their season average.
Key Player - Jalen Wilson
The Kansas Jayhawks star freshman, Jalen Wilson, struggled against Oklahoma State on Tuesday night. The starting guard had just four points converting on just 2-of-7 shots.
Wilson will need to regain his confidence and put up his typical 14.7 points that he has averaged throughout the season to earn the Kansas Jayhawks a victory over the Iowa State Cyclones.
Kansas Jayhawks Predicted Lineup
F David McCormack, F Jalen Wilson G Marcus Garrett, G Ochai Agbaji, G Christian Braun
Iowa State Cyclones Preview
The Iowa State Cyclones suffered another loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, giving them their seventh loss in eight games.
The Cyclones has been abysmal on defense this season, ranking last in all of the Big 12, allowing 98.7 points per 100 possessions. For context, Baylor, who has the top-ranked defensive efficiency in the Big 12, is allowing just 87.4 points per 100, via Kenpom.com.
If the Cyclones are to earn their first win in the Big 12 this season against the Kansas Jayhawks, they will need to tighten their defensive rotations.
Key Player - Rasir Bolton
Rasir Bolton is the key player for the Iowa State Cyclones. The junior guard is the Cyclones' best player leading the team in three statistical categories: points, assists, and steals.
Bolton will need to be the best player on the court come Saturday afternoon to hand the Kansas Jayhawks their second straight loss.
Iowa State Cyclones Predicted Lineup
F Solomon Young, F Javan Johnson, C Jalen Coleman-Lands, G Rasir Bolton, G Tre Jackson
Iowa State vs Kansas Prediction
Kansas will bounce back and defeat the Iowa State Cyclones in blowout fashion.
The Jayhawks will regain their shooting rhythm against a Cyclones team that has shown they are incapable of defense this season.
The win will move the Kansas Jayhawks to 5-2 in conference play.
Where to watch Iowa State vs Kansas
The game will be broadcast live through the ESPN+ app.