UC Davis vs. Kansas Pick
Should No. 1 Kansas have any trouble today when it meets up with No. 16 UC Davis at 6:50PM ET in the NCAA Tournament?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Kansas is favored heavily today, as the Jayhawks are getting odds of -23.5 points against UC Davis. The over/under total for the game is listed at 145 points. This game will take part in the Midwest Region and air on TNT from Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Kansas hasn’t played in eight day, as it is coming off an 85-82 loss to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks are now 28-4 on the season, but still the champions of the Big 12 regular-season title. Kansas has really struggled against the spread, sitting at 11-18-1 against the spread for the season. The Jayhawks average 82.7 points per game on offense while allowing 72.4 on defense. Away from home, the offensive average falls to 77.3. Josh Jackson was forced to sit out the loss to TCU because of a legal incident, but will be back today. He averages 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Frank Mason III is leading the team with 20.8 points and 5.1 assists per contest.
UC Davis has won four straight to claim the Big West Tournament title. That also includes a 67-63 win over North Carolina Central in the First Four. UC Davis is now 23-12 on the season and 18-12-1 against the spread. Davis is averaging 69.3 points per game on offense while allowing 68.7 on defense. Brynton Lemar is leading the team with 16.1 points per game while Chima Moneke is adding 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest.
Kansas certainly is the better team, but the Jayhawks have a real issue of playing to the level of their competition. It showed in the loss to TCU and they are just 2-9 against the spread in their last 11 as a double-digit favorite. UC Davis picked up some momentum by winning the First Four game, so the Aggies should come out swinging. I think they will do enough to cover this lofty spread against a team that hasn’t been winning by large margins all year.
MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: UC DAVIS +23.5