Next up on our NCAAB schedule of March Madness picks and predictions is a West Regional matchup between the 16-seed Howard Bison (22-12) and the 1-seed Kansas Jayhawks (27-7) on Thursday afternoon. Tip-off from Wells Fargo Arena in Iowa is scheduled for 2:00 pm EST and will air on TBS.
This will mark just the third head-to-head all-time meeting between the two NCAA basketball teams, with Kansas winning the first two in 1992 and 2011.
The ‘92 matchup came in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional First Round, though the Jayhawks would bow out two days later in the Round of 32 to UTEP. Continue reading for our Howard vs Kansas prediction.
Howard vs. Kansas Odds
Howard vs. Kansas Information
Howard Bison vs Kansas Jayhawks
Location: Wells Fargo Arena. Des Moines, Iowa.
Date and Time: Thursday, March 16, 2023. 2:00 pm ET.
How to Watch: FS
Updates for Howard and Kansas
Perhaps more than ever, this NCAA March Madness bracket is unpredictable because of the college basketball injury report. Houston, UCLA and these Jayhawks, among others, are dealing with varying degrees of injuries to some of their stars.
Jaylen Clark will miss the Big Dance for the Bruins, the status of Marcus Sasser is being kept under wraps for the Cougars, and both Kevin McCullar and Gradey Dick left the Big 12 Tournament with nagging back injuries. Fortunately, both were able to practice on campus before the team departed for Iowa, though they are game-time decisions as of this writing.
Contrasting Fortunes
Kansas University was also without their head coach for the conference tournament, as Bill Self dealt with an illness, but he is good to go for the NCAA tourney.
Howard, meanwhile, enters as the longshot 16-seed after winning both the regular season and MEAC Conference Tournament. This is their third NCAA Tournament appearance and the first since that matchup with Kansas back in 1992.
Be sure to bookmark InsidersBettingDigest for updated March Madness betting odds and our free NCAAB picks throughout the month.
Howard vs. Kansas Betting Preview
According to the NCAAB odds, Kansas is favored by 22 in this matchup on Thursday with an over/under of 145.5 points. The Jayhawks are -10000 on the moneyline while the Bison are +2000.
This game features the biggest spread of the First Round, with Houston also laying north of 20 in their matchup with Northern Kentucky.
Just a reminder that there are two more First Four NCAA basketball games today, which will set the Field of 64.
Howard vs. Kansas Betting Prediction
Both schools finished at the top of their respective conferences in the regular season when looking at the college basketball standings, but this is a major step up in competition for the Bison.
Howard did open their 2022-23 campaign with Kentucky, but they did not face a ranked team the rest of the way and now have to square off with one of the best college basketball players in the country in Jalen Wilson.
The Jayhawks are 45-13 all-time in the tournament as a 1-seed and 15-0 against 16 seeds in program history. They were 27-point winners in their opening-round tilt with Texas Southern a year ago, blew out Northeastern by 34 in 2019 in a 4-12 game, and dominated UC Davis by 38 in another 1-16 matchup in 2018.
They’re looking to become the first team to go back-to-back since the University of Florida in 2006-07 and will kick off their repeat bid with an easy blowout over the overmatched Bison. Our final Howard vs Kansas prediction is below as the Jayhawks look to prepare for Arkansas or Illinois in the Round of 32.
Betting on this event:
When making your Howard vs Kansas prediction, bet on Kansas to cover the -22.0 spread at -110.
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