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Kansas vs. Howard: 2023 NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Picks

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March Madness is officially here! The 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the early odds, previews, and predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round 1 game: Kansas vs. Howard.

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2023 March Madness Odds, Preview & Predictions: Kansas vs. Howard

Kansas vs. Howard Odds, Spread & Match Up Overview

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Kansas 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

Last year’s champion looks to run it back, with Bill Self earning yet another 1-seed this tournament. Kansas enter with a league-leading 327 Quad 1 wins. OK, it isn’t that many, but it’s a lot. The Jayhawks had the toughest strength of schedule this season, per KenPom, and they continued to earn win after win as they went along, mowing down opponents. Jalen Wilson has taken a massive step in leading this team, with role players in Gradey Dick and Dajuan Harris highlighting this championship-caliber squad.

Offensively, Kansas really isn’t too spectacular, but the Jayhawks still rank in the top 25 in offensive efficiency. They have a preference for scoring inside, with nearly 55 percent of their points coming from inside the arc, ranking in the top 75 in that category. Kansas is incredibly consistent and has shown without a doubt that it can play in big neutral-court games. Self is one of the best second-half adjustments and late-game coaches in the history of collegiate hoops, and it’s shown. Kansas went 9-1 this season in games decided by five or fewer points, with the one loss coming in overtime. While you can chalk a little bit of that up to luck, it’s invaluable to have that much late-game experience for these young players come March.

Defensively, Kansas is awesome anywhere on the court, ranking in the top 30 in defensive 3pt%, MR%, and NP% shooting. No matter what their opponent brings, Kansas will be ready for it. The Jayhawks have essentially had everything thrown their way this season, so I can’t think of a team more prepared for this tournament. The Jayhawks play at a fast pace and allow very few transition/breakaway points off of steals. Against teams that shoot well from the perimeter, Kansas actually performs better than average, too, per Haslametrics.

Kansas’ glaring weakness is its depth. The Jayhawks rank near last in the Big 12 in bench minutes. Against teams that draw fouls at a high clip such as Kansas State, Baylor, and TCU, we have seen Kansas struggle. Combine that with an opponent that has a fast pace of play, and fatigue can set in for Kansas starters late in games — especially in a quick-turnaround situation like a second-round game. Kansas didn’t fall to a sub-25 KenPom team all season, so honestly, I’m going out of my way to find a weakness here. The Jayhawks have the potential to win it all again, but luck has been on their side all season. It will be interesting to see if the ball continues bouncing their way in the tournament.

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Howard 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

The MEAC representative has a solid all-around game with the ability to get hot from deep, but without being overly reliant on the long ball. Elijah Hawkins is an elite facilitating guard with one of the highest assist rates in the nation to go along with his 45 percent perimeter shooting.

Howard forces turnovers at a high clip but does not rebound well on the defensive end, allowing opponents to get second-chance points. Howard’s 356th-ranked turnover rate makes me concerned about its ability to get open looks in tournament games, and its sub-300th-ranked strength of schedule makes me feel like the Bison won’t put up much of a fight in the tournament.

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Howard Bison 2023 NCAA Tournament Predictions

Kansas proved to be one of the more consistently dominant teams in a wild year of college basketball, outpacing the rest of an extremely tough Big 12 to claim yet another regular season title. The defending national champions are a veteran squad led by a presumptive All-American in Jalen Wilson and one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball in Bill Self. The Howard Bison had a great season of their own, winning the MEAC regular season title with an 11-3 record and using some late-game heroics to come back and defeat Norfolk State in their championship game. The Bison are a relatively balanced team, relying on contributions from everyone on their roster (7 players averaging between 7-13 PPG). One big bright spot for Howard is that they turn the ball over at the 3rd-lowest rate in the country, which is paramount against a Jayhawks team that ranks 11th in the nation in steals. That being said, Kansas should be able to get whatever they want, whenever they want, on the offensive end during this matchup. Rather than lay the 20+ point full game spread, I would look for the Jayhawks to get out to an early lead and cover the first half spread.

Kansas Jayhawks vs. Howard Bison 2023 NCAA Tournament Picks

Kansas 1H

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