Kansas vs. Oklahoma State prediction: Ride the Cowboys as a home underdog

Just how beastly is the Big 12 this basketball season? Six of the league’s 10 members have been ranked in the Top 25 for weeks.

However, the hottest squad in the conference is one of the outsiders. That squad: Oklahoma State.

The unranked Cowboys have ripped off five consecutive victories, the most recent being Saturday’s 64-56 upset at No. 11 Iowa State as a 6.5-point road underdog. It was arguably the league’s most impressive road win of the season, as Iowa State had been 12-0 on its home floor.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma State, there was little time to celebrate. Because next up on the schedule is a date with the Big 12′s highest-ranked team, one that happens to be the defending national champions: No. 5 Kansas, which has won four of its last five.

Tuesday’s matchup in Stillwater, Oklahoma, comes six weeks after the Jayhawks needed a furious second-half rally to overcome Oklahoma State at home.

Oddsmakers expect the longtime rivals to engage in another closely contested battle Tuesday. We second that opinion, but with one caveat: We’re backing the streaking home underdog with our Kansas vs. Oklahoma State prediction.

Odds updated as of 12:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 14.

This should be a classic letdown spot for Oklahoma State following Saturday’s emphatic 64-56 win at Iowa State.

After all, the Cowboys (16-9, 14-11 ATS) did something that Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas — all ranked teams — failed to do this season: They departed Ames, Iowa, with a victory.

And Oklahoma State did it with a dominating second-half performance, outscoring the Cyclones 38-24 after trailing 32-26 at halftime.

So why do we believe the Cowboys will avoid falling into the letdown abyss? Because they have unfinished business against Kansas (20-5, 11-14 ATS).

Back on New Year’s Eve, Oklahoma State went to Lawrence, Kansas, and raced out to a 45-30 halftime lead in the Big 12 opener for both squads. However, Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson — who finished with a game-high 23 points — got into foul trouble early in the second half.

With Thompson on the bench, the Jayhawks chipped away at the big deficit and eventually prevailed 69-67 on a game-winning layup with six seconds to play.

You can be sure the bitter taste from that defeat still lingers for Oklahoma State, especially Thompson — his game-tying shot at the buzzer was blocked.

So the Cowboys will take the court Tuesday with revenge on their minds. More importantly, though, they’ll do so knowing they can hang with the defending champs.

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It won’t be easy, of course. Kansas has bounced back from a rare three-game losing skid (all against Big 12 opponents) by going 4-1 SU and ATS in its last five.

But let’s focus on that one defeat: Ten days ago, the Jayhawks went to Iowa State and got thumped 68-53 as a one-point road underdog.

That was the team’s third straight conference road loss, following an 83-82 overtime setback at Kansas State and a 75-69 defeat at Baylor.

Kansas did snap that Big 12 road losing streak with Saturday’s 78-55 beatdown of Oklahoma as a 2.5-point road favorite. But the Cowboys also went to Oklahoma this month and thumped the Sooners (71-61 as a 3.5-point underdog).

Oklahoma State also has won 11 of 12 home games since getting upset 61-60 by Southern Illinois way back on Nov. 10 (second game of the season). That 11-1 run at home includes Big 12 wins over West Virginia, Oklahoma, Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech.

Obviously, Kansas is a different animal, and the Cowboys know it — they’ve been swept in the season series four times in the last five years. But this Jayhawks team has been highly inconsistent this season. Their 4-4 record over the past month is testimony to that.

Throw in the fact that Kansas is playing back-to-back road games — which is never easy in league play, especially in the Big 12 this season — and we’ll snag the points Caesars Sportsbook is offering.

Not that we’ll need them, as Oklahoma State should get its revenge from that New Year’s Eve heartbreaker and defeat the Jayhawks for just the second time in the last 11 meetings.

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