Longhorns vs. Jayhawks Prediction
It has been a shaky season for the 17th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks as they prepare to play the Texas Longhorns tonight in the Big 12 Tournament. Can Kansas find its footing and take care of business as the small favorites?
Game Snapshot
727 Texas Longhorns vs. 728 Kansas Jayhawks
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Spectrum Center at 9PM ET
TV: ESPN2
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Jayhawks are a 2.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 137.5 points. As of Thursday afternoon, 81 percent of public bets are pouring in on Kansas. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Longhorns reinstate Roach
Texas has reinstated senior Kerwin Roach II for the Big 12 Tournament after he served a five-game suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules. Roach averages a team-best 15 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals. The Longhorns struggled without him as they went 1-4 and finished the regular season with a 69-56 home loss against TCU. Texas trailed 35-27 at halftime and could not rally after the break. Texas shot 22-of-59 from the floor, 4-of-19 from 3-point range plus 8-of-9 at the free throw line. Jaxson Hayes led the Longhorns with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting plus 5-of-5 at the free throw line. He also notched seven rebounds and two steals. Matt Coleman III tallied 12 points and two assists. Courtney Ramey added 11 points, seven boards, five assists and two steals.
Jayhawks stay unbeaten at home
Despite all their road issues this season (3-8), Kansas finished undefeated at home with a 17-0 record following its 78-70 win Saturday over Baylor. The Jayhawks (23-8, 12-6) outscored the Bears 46-41 in the second half to secure the win. Kansas shot 26-of-59 from the floor, 6-of-16 from 3-point range plus 20-of-30 at the free throw line. Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks with 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting plus 11-of-12 at the free throw line. He also tallied 14 rebounds plus three blocked shots and two steals. Devon Dotson had 15 points, three boards and two steals. David McCormack added 12 points and five rebounds.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Texas
The Longhorns are 46-68 ATS in March games since 1997. Texas is 4-18 ATS as a neutral court underdog of three or less points since 1997.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are 2-4 ATS and 5-1 straight up versus the Longhorns the last six meetings.
Prediction:
This is a tricky one for Kansas as it’s away from home, but technically not a road game and it might even more resemble a home game with Jayhawks fans likely to travel well. While Kansas has been up-and-down, Texas has been even shakier and I’m not looking for it to flip a switch today even with Roach II back. I’m liking the Jayhawks tonight as they are fully capable of putting on a solid performance against a team it split with during the regular season.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS JAYHAWKS -2.5