It has been a roller coaster of a season for the Kansas Jayhawks. The highest of highs (wins over Duke and Iowa State) were silenced by the lowest of lows (losses to Missouri and Kansas State). Still, the Jayhawks have time to figure things out before the games start mattering the most. A home game against Colorado might be just what the doctor ordered to help this team find their way.
Here are my best bets for Tuesday night's contest against Colorado.
Zeke Mayo Over 15.5 Points (-130)
If Zeke Mayo got to play every game inside Allen Fieldhouse, he would likely be an All-American candidate. His home-road splits are significant, and it is to his advantage in this game. On the road, he is averaging just 10.7 points, while shooting 41-percent from the field and 33-percent from outside.
Those numbers jump to 18 points, 48-percent from the field, and 44-percent from outside when he is in the friendly confines of his home arena. In conference home games, his scoring goes all the way up to 22 points. His lowest scoring output in a home conference game is 16, and he has surpassed 20 points in four of six games.
Colorado is 165th in the country in points allowed, meaning the Jayhawks could have a field day on offense. They are also 190th in three-point percentage allowed. Mayo has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last four games and is averaging four per game over that stretch.
In what has become almost a must win game for the Jayhawks' mentality, I expect Mayo to hit this number with relative ease.
Dajuan Harris Over 5.5 Assists (-135)
Neither of these two lines make much sense to me, so I'm ready to take advantage of them both. Harris has had at least six assists in four of his last five games and is averaging higher than 5.5 assists throughout the whole season.
Colorado is outside the top 100 in opponent assists per game, assists per field goal made, and assists per possession. They also allow about four more assists on the road. Coming off what is likely the worst loss of the season, the fifth year senior will want to make sure the ship gets pointed back in the right direction as March approaches.
I think this is a big time bounce back spot for the Jayhawks, and it starts with the ring leader.