Saturday, February 27, 2010 – Free College Pick
Missouri Tigers (21-7) vs. #6 Kansas State Wildcats (23-4)
The Missouri Tigers will make the trip to Manhattan, Kansas to tip off against the No. 6 Kansas State Wildcats in a Big 12 contest at the Fred Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
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The last time these two teams tangled the Tigers downed the then-No. 11 Wildcats 74-68 at home in the Big 12 opener back on Jan 9.
Mizzou has won six of their last eight and three in a row after thrashing Colorado 92-63 on Wednesday night. Six-foot-nine senior forward Marcus Denmon erupted for 21 points while Keith Ramsey added 13 points and J.T. Tiller had 10 points and nine assists in the win. The Tigers shot a remarkable 58 percent from the field including a season-high 64 percent (9-of-14) from 3-point range, all while forcing Colorado into 19 turnovers. But Wednesday night’s victory came with a potentially heavy price, as junior forward Justin Safford suffered a left knee injury early in the first half, which could cost him the rest of the season. The Missouri defense continues to improve and are tied for third in the Big 12 holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting overall and 30.5 percent from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats have won six consecutive games including an 83-64 victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday. Leading scorer Jacob Pullen scored a game-high 28 points while Jamar Samuels had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Denis Clemente added 14 points in the win. The ‘Cats hit 47.5 percent of their 59 attempts, all while holding Tech to just 37.5 percent of their 56 field goal attempts. Kansas State, which won in Lubbock for the first time since 1986, could still share the Big 12 title with the Jayhawks. Kansas would have to lose its three remaining games and the Wildcats would have to win their final three. They play March 3 at Kansas.
The odds makers have Kansas State as –6-point favorites in this one.
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The loss off a 6-foot-8 junior Safford, will be a big blow to Missouri’s front line making it much more difficult to contend with the Wildcats’ inside depth.
I expect KSU to take advantage of their 13-2 home record and stronger inside presence, taking this one by 4-points.
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