Huskies vs. Jayhawks Prediction
The fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks will open NCAA Tournament play this afternoon versus the 13th-seeded Northeastern Huskies. Can a Kansas squad that has struggled away from home this season win in a neutral court setting?
Game Snapshot
783 Northeastern Huskies vs. 784 Kansas Jayhawks
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Vivint Smart Home Arena at 4PM ET
TV: TNT
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Jayhawks are a 6.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 143 points. As of Thursday morning, 57 percent of public bets are being placed on Northeastern. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.
Huskies win CAA title
Northeastern punched its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament nine days ago by defeating Hofstra by a count of 82-74 in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship game. The Huskies raced out to a 42-26 halftime lead on their way to the win. Northeastern (23-10) shot 26-of-52 from the field, 14-of-31 from the field and 16-of-23 at the free throw line. Vasa Pusica paced the Huskies with 21 points on 7-oif-13 shooting from the floor including 7-of-12 from 3-point distance. He also grabbed two rebounds. Jordan Roland accounted for 11 points and two assists. Tomas Murphy tallied 11 points, two boards and two dimes off the bench. Shawn Occeus registered 11 points, four steals, two rebounds and two assists as a reserve. Bolden Brace added 10 points, 10 caroms and nine assists.
Jayhawks lose in Big 12 final
Kansas lost by a final score of 78-66 to Iowa State Saturday night in the Big 12 Tournament final to enter the NCAA Tournament with a 25-9 record. The Jayhawks trailed 32-22 at halftime and were unable to recover. Kansas shot 28-of-71 from the field, 3-of-18 from 3-point distance plus 7-of-13 at the free throw line. Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks with 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting including 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. He also notched eight rebounds and three steals. Devon Dotson accounted for 17 points, three boards and three assists. Quentin Grimes added 10 points and two blocked shots.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Northeastern
The Huskies are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. Northeastern is 6-2 ATS in its last eight Thursday games.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven neutral site games. Kansas is 5-0 ATS in its last five Thursday games.
Prediction:
I have had trouble trusting Kansas away from home this season, but here it goes up against a Northeastern team whose best win is against Alabama while also getting blown out by Syracuse and Virginia Tech. I don’t see the Huskies hanging in there against the Jayhawks, who despite their occasional lapses still have plenty of talent. Perhaps Kansas puts its all together during the NCAA Tournament time and makes a nice run. Even if not, I find it hard to believe the Jayhawks don’t ease to a win here.
NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS JAYHAWKS -6.5