Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Kansas looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 38-30 lead against North Carolina State.

If Kansas keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 8-2 in no time. On the other hand, North Carolina State will have to make due with a 7-4 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Kansas Jayhawks

Current Records: North Carolina State 7-3, Kansas 7-2

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What to Know

North Carolina State has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will hit the road for the first time this season to challenge the Kansas Jayhawks at 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. The Wolfpack will be strutting in after a win while the Jayhawks will be stumbling in from a defeat.

Last Tuesday, North Carolina State was able to grind out a solid victory over Coppin State, taking the game 66-56. That's two games straight that the Wolfpack have won by exactly ten points.

North Carolina State's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ben Middlebrooks led the charge by scoring 13 points in addition to five rebounds. What's more, Middlebrooks also racked up five offensive rebounds, the most he's had since back in February. Marcus Hill was another key player, earning 16 points in addition to five rebounds.

Even though they won, North Carolina State struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for them; they were averaging 15.4 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last five contests they've fallen to only 11.2 per game.

Kansas has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell 76-67 to Missouri on Sunday. The Jayhawks didn't live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.

Kansas' loss came about despite a quality game from Hunter Dickinson, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds. Dickinson had some trouble finding his footing against Creighton last Wednesday, so this was a step in the right direction.

North Carolina State's win bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Kansas, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-2.

North Carolina State is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing on the road this season.

North Carolina State came up short against Kansas in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, falling 80-74. Can North Carolina State avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Kansas is a big 14.5-point favorite against North Carolina State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Jayhawks as a 13.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 144.5 points.

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Series History

Kansas won the only game these two teams have played in the last 2 years.

  • Nov 23, 2022 - Kansas 80 vs. North Carolina State 74