Kansas vs Oklahoma Pick, Odds | How to Bet Big 12 Battle

Let's make a Kansas Jayhawks vs. Oklahoma Sooners pick and prediction for Saturday's college basketball game in the Big 12.

Two teams coming off their worst conference performances of the season will try to get back on track on Saturday as Kansas hits the road to take on Oklahoma.

Both teams profile similarly, possessing high-quality defenses, solid offenses and excellent rim protection.

Kansas has been dealing with injuries lately, headlined by the loss of its star on the wing — Kevin McCullar Jr. McCullar is an All-American candidate, and has missed the last two games. The first one ended in a win over Baylor at home, but the other was a blowout loss on the road at Texas Tech.

Point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. has also been playing through an injury, but he hasn't missed any games.

It's been an up-and-down year for Oklahoma in conference play thus far, but the Sooners have played well at home recently.

Oklahoma has now won back-to-back games in Norman, picking up big wins in the last two weeks over BYU and Oklahoma State. Those quality performances were sandwiched between losses at UCF and Baylor. Overall, Oklahoma has won just three of its last seven games.

This is a much-needed game for both sides, so let's take a look at how it will play out.

Kansas ran through its nonconference schedule, winning eight consecutive games entering the Big 12 season.

It hasn't been nearly as easy since, as the Jayhawks haven't won more than two games in a row since league play began. They have really struggled on the road, losing five of their six away games against Big 12 opponents.

The McCullar injury looms large, and even if he plays, it's difficult to see him operating at full strength.

Kansas doesn't have enough depth to overcome serious injury concerns this year. The emergence of Johnny Furphy has been a huge help for the Jayhawks, but Nicolas Timberlake and Elmarko Jackson are forced into roles they can't fulfill when starters are out.

Kansas' defense gives it a chance in any game, though, even without McCullar. The Jayhawks rank 17th nationally in defensive efficiency.

Bill Self told reporters they were content slowing the game down against Baylor last week and relying on their defense to get stops. That may be the formula for success in Norman.

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Oklahoma profiles similarly to Kansas, as it owns the 22nd-ranked defense in the country and just the 55th-best offense.

Like the Jayhawks, the Sooners have had ups and downs in conference play.

The Sooners haven't won more than two consecutive league games. They're just 2-5 against KenPom top-25 teams, and have really struggled against the stronger opponents on their schedule.

Oklahoma relies on its elite 3-point defense. Teams are shooting just 29% from 3-point range against the Sooners this season. That's the ninth-best mark in college basketball.

It remains to be seen if any 3-point regression impacts those numbers down the stretch.

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Given the injury concerns for Kansas and its miserable road record, the play here is Oklahoma to cover.

Kansas' role players will have to make shots from outside to keep this close, and that's a tough ask in Norman against a great defense.

Pick: Oklahoma +1