Kansas vs. Texas Southern Odds, Spread, Pick & Predictions for 2022 NCAA Tournament

by Douglas Ziefel |
Mar 17, 2022

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Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Southern Tigers Game Info

Texas Southern (19-12-8, 13-5 SWAC) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (28-6, 14-4 Big 12)

Date: Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022
Start Time: 9:57 p.m. ET
Location: Dickies Arena â€” Fort Worth, TX
Coverage: truTV
Last Meeting: N/A

Texas Southern vs. Kansas Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Moneyline: TSU: (+2200) | KAN: (-6500)
Point Spread: TSU: 21.5 (-110) | KAN: -21.5 (-110)
Total: 144.5 â€” Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

Betting Trends

Texas Southern 2021-22 Betting Trends: 14-13 ATS; 11-15-1 to the Over
Kansas 2021-22 Betting Trends: 14-17 ATS; 16-14-1 to the Over
No. 1 seeds have the better record against the spread in those March Madness games, going 41-37-2 ATS (52.5% cover rate, average spread -23.8).
The No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup has gone under the full game total 50.6% of the time (40-39-1, average total 140.7).
No. 1 Kansas has played in all of the past 20 NCAA tournaments, going 50-19 straight up and 36-33 against the spread in 69 total games.
No. 16 Texas Southern has played in six of the past 20 NCAA tournaments, going 2-6 straight up and 4-3-1 against the spread in eight total games.

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Texas Southern earned the right to face Kansas by winning thier matchup against Texas A&M CC. However, they may have bitten off much more than they can chew, as many 16 seeds, unfortunately, are fed to the woodchipper. Though as bettors, every game has winning angles no matter the disparity between the teams in it. So, without further ado, letâ€™s dive in and find a winner to kick off March Madness on the right foot.

Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview

Bill Self and the Jayhawks are no strangers to March, and they once again will enter with a championship-caliber squad. Kansas is a deserving one seed as they proved on multiple occasions that they were the best team in the Big 12, which is the toughest conference in college basketball. The Jayhawks are a well-oiled machine on offense. They are led by Big 12 Player of the Year Ochai Agbaji, who averaged nearly 20 points per game this season. However, he is not the only threat. Big man David McCormack was the third offensive rebounder in the nation and is a constant double-double threat when fed the ball.

However, for all their offensive accolades, Kansas is a complete team as they are 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 46th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Those numbers are more than enough to shut down a Texas Southern offense that is a mediocre shooting club and very careless with the ball.

Texas Southern Tigers Betting Preview

The Tigers showed a lot of grit in their First Four matchup as they battled back multiple times. The key for them was an interior defensive presence, as Brison Gresham was the definition of a rim protector. Gresham has six of Texas Southernâ€™s nine blocks. While a repeat of that defensive performance would be ideal for the Tigers, it is improbable given the exponential rise in competition. However, Texas Southernâ€™s defense deserves some recognition in this matchup as they are top 20 in effective field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and two-point percentage. Those types of numbers are impressive regardless of who is in front of them.

Texas Southern may have earned a victory, but it certainly was not thier best offensive performance. They shot only 45 percent from inside the arc, which is four percent lower than their mediocre season average. However, senior guard Bryson Etienne stepped up and led the Tigers in scoring against Corpus Cristi. His 21 points were a season-high for him, and he benefitted from getting to the stripe. Overall, both Etienne and the Tigers are due for a bit of regression in this bad matchup as they are 247th in effective field goal percentage and 269th in offensive efficiency.

Texas Southern vs. Kansas Betting Pick and Prediction

Kansas is the far superior team here on both ends of the floor, and while I expect them to be able to score at will in this matchup, I have my eyes on the total as the Jayhawks will hamper the Tigers scoring tremendously. Texas Southernâ€™s offensive struggles have been well documented, and this will be their most formidable opponent of the year. This game has blowout written all over it, and heavy favorites covering is correlated with the under, and that is what we will see here: Texas Southern may not top 60 points.

Pick: Under 144.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

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