The Wichita State Shockers (8-4) aim to upset the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (11-1) this Saturday, December 30 at 4:00 PM ET at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The odds reveal the Jayhawks as heavy favorites with a point spread at -13.0 (-110).

 

The Shockers have lost three out of their last five matchups and will need an outstanding performance to upset the Jayhawks. Their most recent battle was a 69-60 defeat against the Kansas State Wildcats.

 

Colby Rogers will need to have an outstanding showing on offense to help drive them to victory. He currently averages 16.8 points per game and is shooting 43.1 percent from the floor.

 

The Shockers are getting 76.0 points per game and making 44.3 percent of their attempts at the basket. Their back movement has been stagnant at times, especially since they average 11.8 assists each game.

 

Their defense has some issues, as they allow 70.6 points from opposing teams. This does not leave them with a large margin for victory. They also chip in 43.5 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, and 5.4 steals each game.

 

The Jayhawks have won their last seven games and appear to be headed in the right direction as conference battles are among them. Their most recent success was a 75-60 outing over the Yale Bulldogs.

 

They have a great combo of scoring from Kevin McCullar Jr. (20.4 PPG) and Hunter Dickinson (18.3 PPG) to lead their offense. Dickinson is also a force on the block and grabs 12.5 rebounds each game.

 

The Jayhawks are averaging 79.1 points per game and make 51.4 percent of their shots. They do an excellent job at moving the basketball with 21.4 assists per game and will likely be the difference in this game.

 

They are slowing teams down to 65.2 points per game, which is a healthy margin in comparison to the Shockers. They are also getting 37.8 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, and 7.5 steals per matchup.

 

MyBookie has the odd set for this matchup, with the Kansas Jayhawks as favorites to win. Looking at market analysis, they have an 89.9 percent probability of winning.

 

The Jayhawks have had a few close encounters since losing their only game to the Marquette Golden Eagles. Looking at the stats, you can see their margins for winning are comfortable. The Shockers have had issues creating space in terms of points, but they allow too many and you cannot have that against one of the best teams in the country.