Kansas Jayhawks vs Houston Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/09/2024

Game Time: 4:00 pm ET, Saturday, March 9, 2024

Venue:  Fertitta Center, Houston, TX

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Kansas +8.5, Houston -8.5; Over/Under:  136 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Kansas +8.5, Houston -8.5; Over/Under:  136 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kansas +8.5, Houston -8.5; Over/Under:  136 points

Kansas Jayhawks:  22-8 (10-7) (4th place, Big 12)

Houston Cougars:  27-3 (14-3) (1st place, Big 12)

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Kansas Jayhawks:  3-2  last 5

Houston Cougars:  5-0  last 5

Kansas is entering this game with a 22-8 record overall, a 10-7 record in conference games, and they are 3-6 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Kansas State Wildcats in their last game. Kevin McCullar Jr. led the team in points per game in that game with 19 while Nicolas Timberlake was next on the team with 18. Dajuan Harris Jr. led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Hunter Dickinson led the team in rebounds with 20. They were 45.2% from the field, 46.2% from 3-point range, and 90.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.3 PPG against them. Kansas has an ATS record of 13-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 14-15-1.

Houston is entering this game with a 27-3 record overall, a 14-3 conference record, and they are 16-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Central Florida Knights in their last game. LJ Cryer led the team in points in that game with 25 while Jamal Shead was next on the team with 16. Jamal Shead led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Ja'Vier Francis led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 43.1% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.3 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 13-15-2 this season and their O/U record is 13-17.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 27-3 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as the best in the nation right now. They have been leading the Big 12 all season with their 14-3 conference record and they have also looked great on their home court with their 16-0 home record. Meanwhile, Kansas has looked really good in their games this season with their 22-8 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country too. They aren't ranked nearly as high as Houston is though and Kansas has also struggled more in the Big 12 this year with their 10-7 conference record. They haven't looked good in their road games either with their 3-6 road record and they are only 3-2 in their last 5 games, not playing at their best lately. Houston has been the much hotter team coming into this one with their 5-0 record in their last 5 games and they also have a ton of momentum on their side with 8 wins in a row now. Houston also lost on the road to Kansas earlier this season so they will bring their best effort in this game to repay Kansas for that loss and finish the season as the strongest team in the Big 12. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Kansas Houston Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 9, 2024 (4:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 82 Kansas 72.

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Kansas Jayhawks: 2-8 ATS after scoring 80 points or more. 7-12 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins. 4-13 ATS after a game committing 8 or less turnovers. 59-35 UNDER as an underdog. 29-19 UNDER in a road game where the total is 135 to 139.5. 

Houston Cougars: 9-5 ATS in all home games. 26-16 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 8-3 ATS off 2 or more consecutive road wins. 31-20 UNDER in all home games. 36-17 UNDER revenging a road loss vs opponent of 10 points or more. 37-18 UNDER after playing 2 consecutive road games.

Kansas Jayhawks:  K. McCullar Jr. (G) Ques Sat - Knee.

Houston Cougars:  J. Tugler (F) out for season - Foot. R. Walker Jr. (G) out for season - Knee. T. Arceneaux (G) out for season - Achilles.

“I will say, when we got our ass kicked there, we shook everybody's hand, so I guess it was different here today.” - Bill Self after his team’s win against KSU in their last game on Tuesday.

“We knew the Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball. Houston has been a winning program for a long time. It didn’t really matter which conference we ended up going in, once we traveled with our DNA and our toughness, I feel like we can compete with anybody in the nation.” - J’Wan Roberts after their win against UCF in their last game on Wednesday.

K. Adams 

H. Dickinson 

D. Harris 

E. Jackson 

K. McCullar

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

PPG: C. McCarthy (34)

APG: D. Harris Jr. (6.6)

Reb/G: H. Dickinson (11)

PPG: L. Cryer (15.8)

APG: J. Shead (6.2)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6.9)

Coaches:

Kansas Jayhawks: Bill Self (21st season)

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)