NCAA Basketball Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Kansas Jayhawks
Friday, December 09, 2011
by Frank Martin
The brutal non-conference schedule continues for No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks, which hosts second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in a marquee matchup at Allen Fieldhouse. The Buckeyes are making their first trip away from home, where they've outscored their eight opponents by an average of 29.3 points.
Both of the Jayhawks' losses have come to teams ranked sixth or higher -- a 75-65 loss to Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic and a 68-61 loss to Duke in the Maui Invitational final. They'll get a third shot at knocking off a top team, as the Buckeyes are the highest-ranked foe to visit Allen Fieldhouse since top-ranked Arizona beat the Jayhawks 91-74 on Jan. 25, 2003.
- Ohio State Buckeyes @ Kansas Jayhawks
When: 3:15 PM ET, Saturday, December 10, 2011
Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
TV: 3:15 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN3
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on Bet Online Sportsbook
Bet Online Sportsbook currently have the Buckeyes listed as 3½-point favorites versus the Jayhawks, while the game's total is sitting at 139.
Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0): The Buckeyes followed up an impressive 85-63 win over then-No. 2 Duke with a 64-35 drubbing of Texas-Pan Am on Saturday. It gave Thad Matta his 300th career victory and his 198th at Ohio State. Sophomore forward Jared Sullinger leads the Buckeyes with 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and has tallied double-doubles in four of his past five games. Sullinger owns 22 career double-doubles.
Duquesne Dukes (6-2): Kansas had a bit of trouble putting away Long Beach State in an 88-80 home win Tuesday despite a career-high 26 points from Thomas Robinson. The junior forward leads the team with 17.4 points per game and paces the Big 12 with 12 rebounds per game. He has seven double-doubles this season. Center Jeff Withey just missed his first triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots against the 49ers.
1. Kansas leads the series 5-3 and has captured three straight, but the teams have not met since the 2000-01 season, when Kansas won 69-68 in Columbus, Ohio.
2. Ohio State has trailed for a total of 2 minutes, 57 seconds over its past six games and has not trailed in its last two.
3. Kansas is 35-20 against ranked opponents under Bill Self, including 3-1 versus teams ranked first or second.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Jayhawks 68, Buckeyes 67.
Bet on NCAA College Basketball games with Bet Online Sportsbook, click here!
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allen fieldhouse - jared sullinger - jeff withey - kansas jayhawks - maui invitational - ohio state buckeyes - thomas robinson
