The NCAAB season continues this week in the Big 12 as the Arizona Wildcats travel to take on the Kansas Jayhawks, with both teams looking to continue their good form.
The Wildcats come into the game in fantastic form and have a perfect 23-0 record for the season so far, while the Jayhawks have overcome a recent rocky patch and come into this game with a 18-5 record for the campaign.
We’ll take a look at the matchup between the two sides and provide you with our best free NCAAB betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash, while you enjoy the action on the court.
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Arizona have had a picture perfect season so far, and are rightly ranked as the number one team in the country right now as a result.
The Wildcats opened their season with a strong 93-87 win over the number three-ranked Florida Gators on the opening day of the campaign, before dominant wins over the Utah Tech Trailblazers and Northern Arizona Lumberjacks.
Close-fought games against the UCLA Bruins and UConn Huskies came next, before more dominant performances against the Denver Pioneers, Norfolk State Spartans, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Abilene Christian Wildcats, San Diego State Aztecs, Bethune Cookman Wildcats, and South Dakota State Jakrabbits saw them end the non-conference regular season with an unblemished 13-0 record.
Arizona then opened their Big 12 campaign against the Utah Runnin’ Utes with a strong 97-78 victory, before demolishing the Kansas State Wildcats 101-76.
The dominant performances have continued throughout the season, and they come into this game still with a 100% win record, following a 84-47 destruction of the Oklahoma State Cowboys this past weekend.
Kansas have had an excellent season so far, but after opening the campaign with a strong 95-41 win over the Green Bay Phoenix, they fell to defeat in their second game against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Jayhawks responded with back-to-back victories over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders and Princeton Tigers, but were once again beaten in week 5, as they fell to a 66-78 defeat to the number five-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
The team then put together a fun three-game winning streak after that loss, beating Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Syracuse Orange, and Tennessee Volunteers. However, their momentum was once again halted by a defeat, this time against the number five-ranked UConn Huskies. But a four-game winning streak saw the Jayhawks end the non-conference regular season with a 10-3 record.
The Big 12 season started poorly, as Kansas lost 75-81 to UCF Knights, and also 86-75 to West Virginia Mountaineers, either side of a tough 104-100 overtime win against the TCU Horned Frogs.
Since then, though, the Jayhawks have gone on a season-best seven-game winning streak, where they defeated all of Iowa State Cyclones, Baylor Bears, Colorado Buffaloes, Kansas State Wildcats, BYU Cougars, and Texas Tech Red Raiders, and now come into this match on the back of a 71-59 win over Utah.
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It’s a rare occasion where the best team in the country will have to fight hard to prove it in this game, with both of these teams playing great basketball and full of confidence heading into this matchup.
Kansas are likely to come out hard and strong in front of their home fans, and they will be keen to take advantage of the fact they are playing in back-to-back home games, meaning less travel and more rest.
Arizona do have the offensive edge, and they will be keen to overwhelm their hosts as the game goes on, but they will also need to be patient in the early exchanges to ensure they don’t get blown away and leave themselves a mountain to climb.
The Wildcats are currently ranked No.11 in the country for points scored per game, with an average of 89.3 points per game, while the Jayhawks rank all the way down in 141st in the same metric, averaging 77.8 points per game. With the likes of Brayden Burries, Jaden Bradley, and Koa Peat in the side, it’s no wonder Arizona are favorites.
The Jayhawks’ best defending players, including Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr just don’t have enough about them to stop the in-form offense coming the other way, and the offensive power in Kansas shouldn’t be enough to really overpower the Wildcats.
Taking everything into account, they’re the best pick here too. At odds of -150, there is terrific value in the Arizona Wildcats to remain unbeaten and maintain their number one ranking, so take it while you can.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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