The defending National Champions, Kansas Jayhawks, secured another No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and their title defense begins against Howard.
The Bison are a sweet shooting three-point team that plays at a fast pace and will look to challenge the short rotation of the Big 12 regular season champions Jayhawks. However, Bill Self will be back on the sidelines for the team after being hospitalized during the Big 12 Championship, will that lift get them a cover at a massive point spread?
Here’s the odds for this first round matchup:
Howard vs. Kansas odds, spread and total
Howard vs. Kansas prediction and pick
This should be an entertaining matchup with Howard’s preferred pace, top 100 in adjusted tempo per KenPom, and their ability to knockdown three’s (21st in the country in 3P%). The Bison also like to play an aggressive ball pressure defense that forces turnovers at the 54th highest clip.
Howard could get transition opportunities, but with veteran guard Dajuan Harris operating at the point for the Jayhawks, the No. 1 seed will likely generate plenty of open looks on back cuts and ball movement to keep the No. 16 seed at bay.
Further, Howard is terrible at protecting the ball, bottom 10 in turnover percentage, so while this game could be up-tempo, both teams are going to be rolling in the open court and there should be plenty of easy chances.
I do think Howard can hit enough shots to stay competitive for a bit, but the sure handed Jayhawks offense will likely outduel them for a majority of the game. My favorite look in this game is the over.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
