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Sometimes you want to make a quick pit stop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and the lean on Arizona State vs. Kansas.
Arizona State (10-3, 1-1) at No. 11 Kansas (10-3, 1-1)
Date: Wednesday, January 8
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
The pick — SGP: Kansas -8.5, Arizona State +21.5 (-102, Caesars)
This season’s Kansas Jayhawks have much in common with famed Batman villain Harvey Dent.
Also known as “Two-Face,” the former Gotham district attorney turned vengeful criminal with an acid-scarred face is a classic split-brain. On one side, he resembles the once-upstanding and well-respected lawman. On the damaged side, he’s a corrupted gangster with a complete disregard for morality and jurisprudence.
For Bill Self’s KU team, the good and bad versions are also in a constant tug-of-war.
When the Jayhawks are bringing their “A” game, their No. 8 KenPom standing is fully supported. The 99-48 destruction levied against UCF last Sunday in Orlando offered inarguable proof. In the lopsided smashing, Kansas scored 1.29 points per possession while allowing a season-low 0.62 points per possession. Incredibly, the Golden Knights shot 7-for-38 on 2-pointers (18.4%). Johnny Dawkins better call “Teen Wolf.”
As for the negatives, KU inexplicably dropped a New Year's Eve home game to West Virginia, a bubble-at-best squad that was without top scorer Tucker DeVries. In the 62-61 clunker of a defeat, starters KJ Adams Jr. and AJ Storr combined for an astonishing two points on 1-for-7 shooting. The 76-67 road misstep at Missouri in early December was equally baffling.
Again, the range of outcomes for a Jayhawks team projected by BartTorvik to earn a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament is all over the map. Heck, catching an L from future NEC representative University of Greenland isn’t off the table, as nutty as that may seem.
It’s anyone’s best guess what version of Kansas takes the floor Wednesday night inside the historic Phog.
Another unexpected stumble similar to the WVU debacle isn’t likely. The Jayhawks are No. 9 in effective field-goal percentage, allowing a mere 42.7% shooting on 2s and 29.6% on 3-pointers. Most striking is 19th-year senior Hunter Dickinson’s stark advantage under either basket. Over 60% of KU’s points this season have come within close proximity.
Arizona State possesses adequate size, but its trees — Jayden Quaintance and Basheer Jihad — are hardly Sequoias (with both listed at 6-foot-9) and are quite wooden. The Sun Devils rank No. 108 in 2-point percentage D and outside the top 130 in offensive and defensive rebounding, so Quaintance and Jihad must stand tall to compete against Kansas.
It’s a foregone conclusion the Jayhawks successfully defend their home court, but by how much? Because ASU is shooting a blistering 37.3% from distance, a blowout shouldn’t ensue.
Joson Sanon, the Sun Devils’ second-leading scorer, is officially a game-time decision, according to head coach Bobby Hurley. If Sanon’s wrenched ankle responds well in pregame warmups, expect him to play significant minutes. If it doesn’t, the above SGP is very much in jeopardy.
Flipping a coin like Two-Face, this risk taker is hoping the right side lands.
Season record: 13-10, +2.97 units