by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Feb 11, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Kansas -3.5
FanDuel: Kansas -3.5
BetMGM: Kansas -3.5
Caesars: Kansas -3.5
Season record
No. 9 Kansas: 19-5 (7-4 Big 12)
Oklahoma: 12-12 (2-9 Big 12)
February is here and the college basketball season is taking full shape. Conference races still to be determined, the top 25 completely in shambles for what seems like every week, and there's bound to be an upset what seems like every single week. But as the season continues to progress with what seems like exciting action every week, you know our champion handicappers continue to put the work in each and every week to not only make money for them, but to ensure you get money in your pocket. All you need to do is look at the last 30 days. Scott Rickenbach has reeled in a net profit of $14,000 with a 24-9-0 run on the college hardwood. Team Del Genio has killed it with a 13-1-0 run at +$11,900. Will Rogers (28-15-0) and Matt Fargo (40-27-0) have also seen five figures over the last 30 days with college basketball. Surely, you want to get on this winning as well. All you need to do is go to bigal.com, check out our Best Bets page and make sure you are following along on the action. March will be here before you know it! Take advantage of our best best plays and find out what our champion handicappers are doing at bigal.com!
Kansas - Oklahoma preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Kansas: won 88-80 vs. No. 5 Texas
Oklahoma: lost 82-71 at No. 14 Baylor
The Kansas Jayhawks will try for their fourth win in five games when they visit Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday in a battle of complete opposites in the Big 12 conference.
Kansas rebounded after a loss to Iowa State in Ames to defeat the Texas Longhorns 88-80 at home. Even despite that Iowa State loss, the Longhorns have been able to string together some good wins against ranked opponents, especially in the conference.
Gradey Dick led the way with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting, and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 16 points that helped by going 10 of 13 from the free-throw line. Dajuan Harris Jr. had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists to outduel Marcus Carr.
“We knew we had to come in here and get a win,” said Dick, who had the Jayhawks' only two 3-pointers. “The big thing, just in preparation for the week, was coming out with energy. When we do that, we're a scary team."
Carr had a game-high 29 points, but Texas just couldn't stop the balanced Kansas offense. But at the very least, Kansas is getting some confidence-building wins that they weren't getting at the beginning of the year.
“It was as close to a must-win as you could have this early in the season to win the league,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “You go down three games with seven left, you’d have to win out and get a lot of help from others. Now, we still have as hard a schedule as everybody, but we can kind of control our own destiny where if we play well, we have a shot.”
The basketball version of the Red River Rivalry isn't expected to be as competitive as the football one, even though the football one was an embarrassment that went to the Longhorns. Since their dominant, shocking victory over Alabama on Jan. 28, the Sooners have lost three straight, all in conference, by double digits. The latest was the 82-72 loss at Baylor on Wednesday.
Grant Sherfield led the way with 15 points and seven assists, and the Sooners shot 49.2% from the floor. The downside was 14 turnovers in which Baylor had just seven and made 13 more free throws.
“When he sets a screen and he pops, it’s just different,” Sooners coach Porter Moser said of Tchamwa Tchatchoua.
Prediction
The fact that Kansas is only laying 3.5 shows just how much the home crowd of Oklahoma should play a factor in this. And I understand that the willingness of the team aspect playing horribly is a thing, but Oklahoma is just garbage. Kansas 81, Oklahoma 69
The Kansas Jayhawks will try for their fourth win in five games when they visit Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday in a battle of complete opposites in the Big 12 conference.
Kansas rebounded after a loss to Iowa State in Ames to defeat the Texas Longhorns 88-80 at home. Even despite that Iowa State loss, the Longhorns have been able to string together some good wins against ranked opponents, especially in the conference.
Gradey Dick led the way with 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting, and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 16 points that helped by going 10 of 13 from the free-throw line. Dajuan Harris Jr. had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists to outduel Marcus Carr.
“We knew we had to come in here and get a win,” said Dick, who had the Jayhawks' only two 3-pointers. “The big thing, just in preparation for the week, was coming out with energy. When we do that, we're a scary team."
Carr had a game-high 29 points, but Texas just couldn't stop the balanced Kansas offense. But at the very least, Kansas is getting some confidence-building wins that they weren't getting at the beginning of the year.
“It was as close to a must-win as you could have this early in the season to win the league,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “You go down three games with seven left, you’d have to win out and get a lot of help from others. Now, we still have as hard a schedule as everybody, but we can kind of control our own destiny where if we play well, we have a shot.”
The basketball version of the Red River Rivalry isn't expected to be as competitive as the football one, even though the football one was an embarrassment that went to the Longhorns. Since their dominant, shocking victory over Alabama on Jan. 28, the Sooners have lost three straight, all in conference, by double digits. The latest was the 82-72 loss at Baylor on Wednesday.
Grant Sherfield led the way with 15 points and seven assists, and the Sooners shot 49.2% from the floor. The downside was 14 turnovers in which Baylor had just seven and made 13 more free throws.
“When he sets a screen and he pops, it’s just different,” Sooners coach Porter Moser said of Tchamwa Tchatchoua.
Prediction
The fact that Kansas is only laying 3.5 shows just how much the home crowd of Oklahoma should play a factor in this. And I understand that the willingness of the team aspect playing horribly is a thing, but Oklahoma is just garbage. Kansas 81, Oklahoma 69
Betting trends
Kansas is 1-5 ATS after 3 straight conference games this season.
Kansas is 18-21 ATS off a home win the past 3 seasons.
Oklahoma is 10-1 ATS as a home underdog or pick the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Kansas:
PG: Dajuan Harris Jr.
SG: Kevin McCullar
SF: Jalen Wilson
PF: K.J. Abrams
C: Gradey Dick
Oklahoma:
PG: Grant Sherfield
SG: Bijan Cortes
SF: Milos Uzan
PF: Jalen Hill
C: Tanner Groves
Injury report
Statistical leaders
Kansas:
Points: Jalen Wilson -- 20.7
Rebounds: Jalen Wilson -- 8.5
Assists: Dajuan Harris Jr. -- 6.1
Oklahoma:
Points: Grant Sherfield -- 16.8
Rebounds: Tanner Groves -- 6.9
Assists: Grant Sherfield -- 3.4
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Oklahoma Sooners - Kansas Jayhawks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
