3 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Iowa State at Kansas

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

The Big 12 was like the Wild West on Saturday with a load of surprising results. This included two of the conference's better teams in Iowa State and Kansas falling. The Cyclones lost by 19 points as 14.5-point favorites at home against Kansas State. The Jayhawks lost 81-70 on the road against Baylor, blowing the biggest lead in program history at 21 points. Which squad will bounce back in Monday's clash?

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds and select some of the best bets by utilizing the mentioned tools.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Iowa State at Kansas Betting Picks

Under 146.5 Points (-110)

Between the Cyclones and Jayhawks' weekend losses, Iowa State's holds more weight for me. Kansas went into Saturday's game as two-point underdogs on the road, whereas the Cyclones were thoroughly dominated at home despite being heavy favorites.

Bart Torvik's ratings have these teams nearly even. The Cyclones rank 10th while the Jayhawks aren't far behind at 12th. Iowa State's identity has been elite defense under coach T.J. Otzelberger, and they currently rank eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency while allowing 67.6 points per game (84th percentile). Kansas is completely fine playing a slow-paced, defensive game, ranking fifth in defensive efficiency while giving up 66.7 PPG (88th percentile).

If anything, the Jayhawks have the better defense by holding opponents to a 44.3% effective field goal percentage (98th percentile) compared to ISU allowing a mark of 48.0% (81st percentile). The total isn't that low at 146.5, though. Both squads are in the 73rd percentile for the quickest paces in college basketball -- which is a notable changeup for the Cyclones who were in the 53rd percentile for the slowest paces a season ago.

I'm a big fan of the under for this game considering the matchup features two top eight defenses. Plus, the shot distribution for both offenses leaves a lot to be desired. For example, Iowa State is in the 23rd percentile for close twos shot distribution and in the 20th percentile for threes. It's more of the same for Kansas -- which is in the 20th percentile for close twos and the 12th percentile for threes.

Bart Torvik's game projections have the two teams combining for 143 points, putting even more value on the under. Two offenses with concerning shot distributions will likely struggle against elite defenses.

Iowa State Moneyline (+108)
Curtis Jones Over 18.5 Points (-105)

While Kansas seems to have the better defense for this matchup, it's difficult to overlook January 15's matchup when Iowa State won 74-57.

In that game, the Jayhawks' leading scorer Hunter Dickinson (16.4 PPG) was held to six points while he shot 3-of-10 (30.0%). Meanwhile, the Cyclones' top scoring threat Curtis Jones (17.9 PPG) went for 25 points while shooting 9-of-17 from the field (52.9%) and 5-of-6 from three-point land (83.3%). This goes hand in hand with what we can expect from these offenses tonight.

Once again, I'm concerned about Kansas' ability to feed Dickinson and thrive in the paint as Iowa State is in the 96th percentile of close twos shot distribution allowed. Additionally, big men Joshua Jefferson (2.85) and Dishon Jackson (2.44) boast impressive Defensive Bayesian Performance Ratings (DBPR), per EvanMiya.

The Cyclones do not shoot a lot of threes by sitting in the 28th percentile of three-point shots per game. But when they do, they're efficient by draining 35.1% of shots (72nd percentile). Jones spearheads this attack by shooting 37.8% from three. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks are in the 43rd percentile of three-point shot distribution allowed. Kansas' Rylan Griffin (1.29) and Zeke Mayo (1.18) will likely be Jones' primary defenders once again and neither has an impressive DBPR.

In short, I'm expecting each team's success to hinge on its leading scorers. Kansas will likely struggle to run its defense through Dickinson while Iowa State should have the luxury of leaning on its guard combo of Jones and Keshon Gilbert (15.2 PPG).

Along with Jones going over 18.5 points thanks to three-point attempts, look for the Cyclones to win the battle on the glass. They won the rebounding battle by 10 in the last meeting, and ISU ranks 69th in offensive rebounding percentage and 51st for defensive rebounding rate compared to the Jayhawks sitting 159th and 54th in the two categories. A difference in offensive rebounds could hold a ton of weight, as it usually does.

Dickinson to go under 17.5 points (-110) is another line to circle. All three lines pair well, and we have the angle thanks to shot distributions allowed by these defenses.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.