Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions: Iowa State Cyclones

The first road game of the conference season happens today for the Kansas Jayhawks as they travel to Ames, Iowa to face the Iowa State Hawkeyes Cyclones. Will the considerably less number of students in town help them to a 2-0 conference start?

_Ed Note: All these predictions were submitted before the news broke that Udoka Azubuike is out. Take them all with a grain of salt._

Fizzle406: Kansas has looked a little rough at times this year. They might play one half like the number 1 team in the country and then come out the next and look like they have never seen a basketball before. I’m hoping they can work out those kinks this season but on the road in Iowa City will not be the time or the place to do it. Hawkeyes 84, Kansas 76

David: The first and only true road game so far this season went very badly against a much worse opponent in a much easier atmosphere. Dok has since returned, but Wednesday’s game showed us that the team’s struggles aren’t going anywhere. Iowa 74, Kansas 70

Kyle_Davis21: KU’s best hope is that Lindell Wigginton is still rusty coming back from injury. He scored 17 points against Oklahoma State, but got eight of those from the free-throw line and went 1-6 from 3. I expect this to be close the entire game, and while I’m not overly confident in my pick, I’m going to pick KU to win a close game for two reasons. One is Iowa State has lost to the two best teams it’s faced this year (according to KenPom) and Kansas is by far the toughest opponent so far. Second is, as Jesse Newell of the KC Star pointed out, Bill Self is 33-3 in the past three years in games decided by 10 points or less. This team doesn’t play well and usually finds a way to win. I think it happens again. Kansas 76, Iowa 73

dnoll5: Alright, I’m going in blind on this one as I’ve missed the last two games having been out of the country, but I’ll give it a shot. Iowa State on the road has to be one of the three hardest games remaining, if not the absolute hardest, so I have no real confidence that KU will pull it off. That said, very little is as satisfying as going up to that stupid gym and listening to those clowns boo everything imaginable… everything except shutting them up and putting an end to the term “Hilton magic” again. I’m taking Kansas simply for the reason that I’ll get immense personal joy when the Jayhawks walk out winners. Kansas 81, IU 80.

Andy Mitts: It's hard to come up with something that hasn't already been said, but let's try. This is by far the toughest game on KU's schedule until February, with the possible exception of the trip to Kentucky. I have to think Bill Self will have them ready to go, and the biggest deficiency from their only other road trip is gone with the return of Udoka Azubuike. Kansas 76, Iowa 72.

Mike.Plank: Let’s be honest, this is Iowa State’s super bowl every year. I think it’s interesting that our staff is pretty much split on the outcome of the game, but that everyone thinks it will be close. Therefore, I’ll be the crazy one today. Kansas will get an early 8-10 point lead, but then ISU heats up from three. Things don’t get any better in the second half, and afterward Bill Self tells the media “we’re just not very good right now” and KU finds the #Motivation for 15-straight. Iowa 83, Kansas 68.