The Kansas Jayhawks (22-8) travel to face off against the Houston Cougars (27-3) on Saturday, March 9th. This game will be played at Fertitta Center in Houston and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 4:00 ET.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Houston Cougars
The Kansas Jayhawks Are Coming Off A Win
Despite being the underdog, Kansas has a strong record of 22-8 this season, including a 10-7 mark in Big 12 action. The Jayhawks have been much better at home compared to on the road, going 16-1 at home compared to 6-7 away from home.
Recently, Kansas has gone 4-6 in its last 10 road games, and the team is coming off a 90-68 win over Kansas State. Overall, the Jayhawks have been favored in 27 of their 30 games, going 22-5 as the favorite.
Against the spread, Kansas has a record of 13-17 this season. On the road, their ATS mark is 4-9. As the underdog, the Jayhawks are just 1-2 vs. the spread this year. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Kansas is 4-6 vs. the spread.
Based on their over/under record of 14-16, the average over/under line in Kansas games this season is 145.2. Today’s line of 137 is lower than that average and there have been nine games with fewer points than 137. In their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1 with an average of 152 points.
The Houston Cougars Are Coming Off A Win
As the Houston Cougars prepare to take on the Kansas Jayhawks, they do so as the favorites, which they have been in 27 of their 30 games this season. Houston has been dominant at home, going 17-0 this season, and they have won their last 17 games at home. Over their last 10 games at home, the Cougars are 10-0.
For the season, Houston has an average scoring margin of +26.8 points per game at home, compared to +2.5 points per game on the road. Overall, the Cougars are 27-3 this season, and they have won their last seven games.
As the favorite this year, Houston has gone 12-13-2 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Cougars are 3-5-2. Their ATS record at home is 10-6-1 and they are 6-3-1 vs. the spread in their last 10 home games.
So far this season, the over/under record for Houston games is 12-16 and today’s line of 137 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this year (132.8). Over their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 and the average scoring total in those games is 140 points.
Kansas Offense Breakdown
Kansas’ offense had a good outing, putting up 90 points against Kansas State. They achieved a 45.2% field goal percentage and went 28/31 from the free-throw line. Kevin McCullar Jr. led the team in scoring, putting up 19 points. Additionally, Nicolas Timberlake contributed 18 points for the Jayhawks.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Dickinson (C) | 18.2 | 11.0 | 2.2 |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. (G) | 19.1 | 6.2 | 4.3 |
| KJ Adams Jr. (F) | 12.2 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
Houston Offense Breakdown
In contrast to their season average of 74.1 points per game, the Houston had a below average performance. They scored 67 points against UCF and had a field goal percentage of 43.1%. Currently leading the team in scoring is LJ Cryer who comes into today’s matchup averaging 15.8. Jamal Shead also heads into the game with a PPG average of 13.2.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| LJ Cryer (G) | 15.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Jamal Shead (G) | 13.2 | 3.8 | 6.2 |
| Emanuel Sharp (G) | 12.4 | 3.7 | 0.9 |
Kansas Team Defense
The Jayhawks’ defense is presently ranked 78th nationally, allowing an average of 68.3 points per contest. So far, the Kansas defense is giving up an average of 8.3 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 11.1 times per game (523rd).
Houston Team Defense
In the current season, the Houston defense has excelled, sitting 1st in the nation by allowing 57.3 points per game. The Houston defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 59 points and allowed UCF to connect on 3 threes.
Jayhawks vs Cougars Trends
- When looking at their past five road matchups, Kansas has an ATS record of 2-3 while averaging 67 per game. The team went 1-4 overall in these games.
- Through their last three home games, Houston has an ATS record of just 1-2. However, their overall record was 3-0 while averaging 78 points per game.
- The last ten games that Kansas was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 3-7 straight up.
- Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Cougars have a straight up record of 10-0. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-5-2.
Jayhawks vs Cougars Prediction
For today’s matchup we are recommending to take the Cougars to secure the win, with an expected final score of 77-67. When it comes to the spread, we believe they’ll cover at -9.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 137, and our model predicts the Jayhawks and Cougars to score a combined 144 points. We recommend betting on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:March 9, 2024 Houston Cougars, Kansas Jayhawks