The Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks meet up for a crucial early March matchup on Saturday.
The Best Bets for Saturday, March 5th
The No. 21 Texas Longhorns (21-9) and No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks (24-6) prepare to face off on Saturday with a lot on the line.
Texas has desires of ending their season on a high note following their recent loss against Baylor. The Longhorns’ defeat snapped a two-game winning streak, and they will look to rebound on the road in Kansas.
For the Jayhawks, the Allen Fieldhouse will certainly not be lacking from an energy standpoint in this affair. Not only is it senior day for the team, but they can clinch the Big 12 regular-season title with a victory and a Baylor loss. Even if the Bears win, Kansas can still earn a co-share of first place in the Big 12 with a win.
The Jayhawks are coming off back-to-back matchups against TCU that saw them lose on the road and win at home.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 P.M. EST at the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS.
NCAAB – Texas Longhorns at Kansas Jayhawks Betting Trends
Texas Longhorns:
- Texas is 12-17-1 ATS this season.
- The Longhorns are 2-8 ATS when facing ranked opponents.
- They are 3-4-1 ATS after a loss.
- Texas is 3-7 ATS on the road.
- The Longhorns are 2-5 ATS when playing as an underdog.
- They are 1-4 ATS as an away underdog.
Kansas Jayhawks:
- Kansas is 13-17 ATS this year.
- The Jayhawks are 2-6 ATS when facing ranked opponents.
- They are 11-12 ATS following a victory.
- Kansas is 8-8 ATS at their home arena.
- The Jayhawks are 13-16 ATS when playing as the favorite.
- They are 8-8 ATS when playing as a home favorite.
Betting Odds
Neither team stands out with a particular advantage in terms of ATS records, as both have lackluster overall ATS marks.
But looking at past history may not be the way to go in a potentially high-energy game such as this.
Texas’s main hopes of covering the spread in this contest will stem from their defensive effort. If this game turns into a high-scoring shootout, Kansas will easily win the game and cover since their offense has far more firepower than the Longhorns.
But as any coach will tell you, defense is where the game is decided, and that is going to be the case on Saturday.
The Longhorns defeated Kansas at home back in early February in a thrilling 79-76 victory. The offense scored enough points despite shooting an embarrassing 15 percent (3-20) from the three-point range. But it was the defensive performance that allowed Texas to have a chance to win the game.
The Longhorns’ gritty effort led to seven team steals and 15 total Jayhawk turnovers. Texas was able to limit turnovers when they had the ball as they only coughed it up seven times. Finally, the Longhorns also won the rebound battle, which helped keep momentum on their side.
This is the perfect example of how defense and rebounding can lead to wins despite an inability to hit shots.
With that being said, having access to an electric offense with a decent defense is also a solid way to win games. And that describes these Jayhawks in a nutshell.
They rank 35th in the nation in total points scored, 14th in field goal percentage, and 66th in three-point percentage. In summary, Kansas scores a ton of points, and they do it in an efficient manner.
But they have struggled as a team as of late. Kansas is just 1-2 over the course of their past three games, and much of that is due to defensive inconsistency late in games.
They took care of business against TCU at home on Thursday but lost by ten points against the Horned Frogs on the road and dropped a matchup with Baylor by 10 points as well prior to that Thursday victory.
Their key to defeating the Longhorns will be on the offensive glass. If Kansas gobbles up boards after their missed shots, that will keep the crowd involved, and momentum will remain on their side. They cannot allow the Longhorns to win the rebound battle once again.
Best Betting Odds to Bet Online
Kansas is the unsurprising home favorite. But can they cover this 6.5 point spread against a defensive-minded Longhorns team? Sure, they have the ability to do so, but consistently finding the bottom of the net is a difficult task to accomplish against Texas.
How To Bet On: Texas Longhorns at Kansas Jayhawks NCAAB Betting lines
I see this game going one of two ways. Either Kansas feeds off the home energy and comes out of the gates firing en route to a blowout victory, or Texas holds strong on the boards and causes havoc on defense which leads to a nail-biting finish.
The Jayhawks are going to go on a few different scoring runs regardless of what ends up happening. Texas will need to find ways to limit their momentum during those runs, or else this game could develop into a blowout. But there’s a reason why coaches prefer talented defense, so I am going to trust Texas to cover the spread on Saturday.
Kansas might pull off the late-game victory, but the Longhorns project as a quality underdog spread betting pick.
OBS Betting Picks for Texas Longhorns at Kansas Jayhawks
Take the Texas Longhorns +6.5.
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All odds are courtesy of Betonline.
NBA:
- San Antonio Spurs +3.5
- Charlotte Hornets -3.5
Pick: Charlotte Hornets -3.5
Charlotte’s high-powered offense should pull away from San Antonio late in this contest.
- Golden State Warriors -6
- Los Angeles Lakers +6
Pick: Golden State Warriors -6
A part of me wants to take the Lakers as the home underdog. But even though Golden State has labored over the past couple of weeks, I still trust them far more than Los Angeles right now.
College Baseball:
- LSU +122
- Texas -156
Pick: Texas -156
Feel free to pair the Longhorn’s baseball and basketball teams with your betting selections on Saturday. Texas has an elite pitching staff, and they earned a huge victory over Tennessee on Friday, which should provide plenty of momentum in this Saturday affair.
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