Kansas vs Texas Southern Predictions and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo content contributor Kyle Kargel gives his Kansas vs Texas Southern predictions and betting preview for the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 17. At the time of posting, the Jayhawks are a 21.5-point favorite against the Tigers, with the total sitting at 144.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
| Thursday, March 17 | NCAA Tournament Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Kansas Jayhawks -21.5 vs Texas Southern Tigers |
| Total: | 144.5 Points |
| Game Time: | Approx. 9:57pm ET / 6:57pm PT |
| Arena: | Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX |
| TV: | truTV |
Kansas vs Texas Southern Predictions Analysis
In a game which saw neither team have a double digit lead the whole game, Texas Southern defeated Texas A&M-CC on Tuesday 76-67. With a team that leads the NCAA in bench play, the Tigers saw 55 of their 76 points come from the bench.
They’re going to need much more from their starters against a Kansas team that won a share of the Big 12 Regular Season Championship and the conference tournament outright defeating a tough Texas Tech team last Saturday 74-65.
Kansas is favored in this 16 vs 1 matchup by 21.5 so let’s see if Texas Southern has any shot of keeping it close.
Tigers Starters Need to Step Up
What stands out on Texas Southern’s non-conference schedule is their outright road win at Florida 69-54 where they were 23.5 point underdogs to a then ranked #20 Gators team.
Other than that though it was tough sledding for the Tigers losing to teams like Oregon, Saint Mary’s, Air Force, Washington and N.C. State.
The tough non-conference schedule helped set them up for success in SWAC play going 13-5. Overall this team is 19-12 and get helpful production from bench player John Walker III.
He’s their leading scorer putting up over 10 points per game and 4 assists per game while shooting it at over 46% from the field.
As stated, the problem for Texas Southern is production from their starters who only put up a total of 34 points per game.
The different variations of lineups could catch Kansas off-guard as the Tigers do roster the third most experienced team in the country.
Their defense is surprisingly good ranking in the top 20 on defense in effective field goal percentage against as well as two and three point field goal percentage against. Their defense is the only thing that will keep them in this contest potentially keeping it within 20.
Jayhawks Jam Through Big 12 Tournament
The Jayhawks finished out their season strong winning three straight games in three days in the Big 12 Tournament defeating West Virginia, TCU and Texas Tech.
Compared to Texas Southern, Kansas rolls out a much more balanced offense and get tons more production from their starters.
They’re 6th in adjusted offensive efficiency nationally including ranking 27th in effective field goal percentage, 75th in three point percentage, 30th in two point percentage and run at a fast pace ranking 68th in adjusted tempo.
They played the 50th toughest non-conference schedule which included wins against Michigan State, St. John’s and George Mason with their only loss coming on a neutral court to Dayton by one point.
Leading the charge for Bill Self is senior guard Ochai Agbaji averaging over 19 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting over 47% from the field. In fact, their top four starters all average over 47% shooting from the field which Texas Southern will be forced to try and contain.
Kansas vs Texas Southern Prediction
Even with the 20+ point spread, I think Kansas does enough to get off to a solid start in the NCAA Tournament covering that large spread. In order to cover the 144.5 points though Kansas may be forced to score 90 points which may be a tall task given Texas Southern’s slow pace and defensive standing so I like Kansas in some sort of 80-55 type of game.
Prediction: Kansas Jayhawks -21.5
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Kansas vs Texas Southern GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on the Kansas vs Texas Southern contest.
NCAAB Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the NCAA Tournament games, including this Kansas vs Texas Southern showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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