The last No. 1 seed remaining is in the Midwest Region and faces a double-digit seed in the regional final. The Kansas Jayhawks (31-6) meet a scrappy Miami Hurricanes team at 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday in Chicago.
The Hurricanes (26-10) have beaten Southern California, punked Auburn, and then topped Iowa State to advance to the first Elite Eight in program history. After the two-point win over USC, the Hurricanes have been convincing with an 18-point win over second-seeded Auburn and beat the Cyclones by 14.
Kansas (31-6) is the final No. 1 seed alive and, as a result, is the betting favorite to win the national championship (+280). The Jayhawks have won eight straight, including the Big 12 Tournament, and handled Texas Southern before holding off Creighton by seven and Providence by five.
The line opened at -6 with an over/under of 147. The over/under has since moved to 148 as of this writing.
Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview: Rebounding is key
Two teams that match each other’s offensive strengths will come down to doing the little things, and for Kansas, that is continuing to rebound at a high rate. The Jayhawks are 45th in the country and grab 35.1 rebounds per game. Defensively, the Jayhawks are 20th in the country in forcing teams to shoot 29.7% on 3-pointers.
An offense led by Ochai Agbaji is 29th in the country, scoring 78.6 points per game. They also convert at the 23rd-best rate, hitting 48.0% of field goal attempts and 36.1% of 3-point attempts, which is 66th.
Agbaji averaged 19.8 points per game during the regular season but is down to 14.5 ppg in the postseason. Arizona State transfer Remy Martin has come on strong and is averaging 14.0 points per game in the postseason.
Miami Hurricanes Betting Preview: Stars must attack
Miami has played with great confidence in the tournament, and it threw Auburn completely off its game. Now the Hurricanes hope to do so again and earn the program’s first Final Four bid. For third-leading scorer Charlie Moore, it’s a game that comes with familiarity as a Kansas transfer.
He’s a big part of what the 28th most efficient offense does. The ‘Canes convert at a 47.7% clip and hit 3-pointers at a 35.3% rate, 99th nationally. They are also 61st in free throw percentage, hitting 75%.
There has been no slowing Kameron McGusty, who is averaging 19.8 points per game in the postseason. Behind him is Isaiah Wong (14.2 ppg), Moore (13.6 ppg), and Jordan Miller (12.8 ppg) in double figures.
Betting Prediction
Miami is 21-14-1 against the spread and 20-16 on over/unders. The Canes are 4-1 against the spread and straight up in the postseason and 2-3 on over/unders.
Kansas is 18-18-1 against the spread and 20-17 on over/unders. In the postseason, the Jayhawks are 4-2 against the spread in the postseason, losing their last two, and 3-3 on over/unders.
It should be a game with good pace and great ball pressure on the perimeter. Martin stepping up for Kansas has been big, adding another weapon with range and length to the Jayhawks. It’ll be difficult for Miami to get deflections for easy transition points, but the Hurricanes should cover the six points in defeat.
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