The top seed in the NCAA Tournament‘s West Region will take the floor for the first time this tournament, when the Kansas Jayhawks face the Howard Bison. Kansas is a huge favorite in this matchup between themselves and the 16-seed Bison, who will look to make history in this contest.
Howard vs Kansas Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Kansas -21.5 |
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This game will be played at Wells Fargo Arena at 2:00 PM ET on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Why Bet on Kansas:
✅ Howard is simply not in a position to compete with Kansas on a stage like this. They needed a foul call with under 10 seconds left just to win the MEAC championship game, and this step up in level of competition will not go well for them.
✅ Kansas has a little extra motivation going into the NCAA Tournament, as they will feel like they were hard done by the selection committee. Getting stuck in the West Region, where two-seed UCLA will have a geographic advantage in a potential regional final, should fire up the Jayhawks to come out swinging in the first round.
✅ Kansas played the toughest schedule in Division I college basketball this season, according to Kenpom. The Jayhawks are battle-tested and will not have any issue with Howard to kick off their tournament.
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Howard Bison: Nothing to Lose
The Howard Bison won the MEAC championship by beating Norfolk State in Norfolk, by a score of 65-64. They persevered through a back-and-forth game against the Spartans, with Jelani Williams making the biggest free throws of his life to seal the game with 6.1 seconds to go. But the Bison are set for a much tougher opponent here in this Howard vs Kansas matchup on Thursday in Des Moines.
For Howard, the key to this game is going to be simply playing like they have nothing to lose. That is because they don’t have anything to lose. Nobody is expecting the Bison to win this game, so they should simply approach this game by trying to make plays and not worrying about the end result.
Kansas Jayhawks: A Potential Chip On Their Shoulder
The Kansas Jayhawks lost in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday, falling to the Texas Longhorns in Kansas City. That loss moved Kansas to the West Region, where they are the top-seed, but in a tough position with UCLA being in the West Region as the two-seed. Because of that, we could see Kansas come out angry in this first round matchup with Howard.
Of course, there is also intrigue surrounding the status of Kansas head coach Bill Self going into the NCAA Tournament. Self was hospitalized over the weekend due to his health, and has since been discharged. He expects to rejoin the team and to coach in the tournament, but that has added yet another layer of intrigue to the tournament campaign for the Jayhawks.
Has a 16-seed Ever Beaten a One-seed in the NCAA Tournament?
There is one instance all-time of a 16-seed beating a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That happened in 2018, when the UMBC Retrievers destroyed the Virginia Cavaliers in the first round. Before and after that, one-seeds have won 147 times against the teams seeded 16th in their respective regions.
It is worth keeping this in mind when betting on games between one-seeds and 16-seeds. The moneyline odds on the ultimate underdogs in each region may seem appealing, but with a 1-147 all-time record in these games, the moneyline prices for 16-seeds are not worth the low win probability.
