The No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (27-7) and the No. 16 seed Howard Bison (22-12) will meet Thursday, March 16, at 2 p.m. ET in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
When looking at how these teams fared against the spread in similar situations, Kansas is 1-4 as at least 21-point favorites this season, while Howard is 0-1 as at least 21-point underdogs. Howard has had an impressive season, but Kansas and their +238-point differential will make for an incredibly tough challenge.
Read on for my Kansas vs Howard prediction and best bets.
Kansas vs Howard Seed Odds
- Moneyline: Kansas (-4000) | Howard (+1500)
- Spread: Kansas -20.5 (-110) | Howard +20.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 145.5 (-115) | Under 145.5 (-105)
Note: CBB odds mentioned in this article for Kansas vs Howard were used from DraftKings Sportsbook, unless otherwise noted, and are current as of 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 14.
Kansas vs Howard Pick of the Day
Keep reading for more Kansas vs Howard betting tips.
Kansas vs Howard Prediction
Kansas 81, Howard 53
The Howard Bison have punched their first ticket to March Madness in 31 years, but will now face their toughest task of the season. It’s pretty clear that Kansas will win this game; it’s just about weighing motivation and seeing how close this matchup will actually be.
Kansas has gone 14-17-0 against the spread this season and has struggled even more convering these huge spreads. I would feel very confident picking Kansas in my pool, but I don’t think Howard will be the team to pull off the miracle Cinderella upset this season.
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Kansas vs Howard Best Bets
UNDER 145.5 (-105) | DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
Kansas is also likely to be in a position where they get to rest some of their starters toward the end of this matchup, which should be good for the Under. While I expect to see stars like future lottery pick Jalen Wilson ball out this tournament, I don’t think he will see the huge performance this early in a low-pressure matchup.
I’ve had a lot of success betting on these Unders with No. 1 seed facing off against No. 16 seeds. While it would be an amazing Cinderella story if Howard were able to actually compete in this game, I’m expecting them to really struggle on the offensive side of the ball.
While it was tough deciding between the Howard team total Under and total game Under, I’m going to trust Kansas to take their foot off the gas up 30.
Kansas vs Howard Same Game Parlay
Kansas vs Howard SGP (+195) | DraftKings Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
- Gradey Dick 2+ 3PM (-210)
- Dajuan Harris Jr. 5+ Assists (-330)
- Howard Team Total Under 65.5 (-190)
Gradey Dick has two-plus three-pointers in seven of his last nine games coming into the tournament, and should be aggressive early in this game. The 6-foot-8 freshman guard has taken five-plus three-pointers in each of those contests, and presents a very tough matchup for the Howard defense.
Dajuan Harris is averaging 6.2 assists per game this season, which is seventh in the nation. He has five or more assists in nine of his last 12 games, and I don’t think Howard will have a solution for the dynamic guard.
Finally, I’m going to take the alternate Under for the Howard team total. They get a tough matchup against the Kansas defense, and I expect them to be completely outclassed in this Round 1 showdown.
