Texas Southern Tigers vs. Kansas Jayhawks Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Texas Southern Tigers (19-12) of the Southland Conference will meet the Kansas Jayhawks (28-6) of the Big 12 Conference in first-round action in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 9:57 p.m. ET at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and the game can be viewed on truTV.

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Score Prediction

Kansas 83, Texas Southern 55

Best Bet

Kansas -21.5 (-115)
Under 145 (-115)

NCAA Tournament Expert Picks | NIT Tournament Picks

MARCH MADNESS BETTING RESOURCES

TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS PREDICTIONS

The Texas Southern Tigers pulled out a 76-67 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Four game in Dayton Tuesday night, easily covering a 3.5-point number with room to spare. Texas Southern is now 4-0 SU/3-0-1 ATS in the postseason, and the Tigers have posted five consecutive victories overall. And that will be their last victory of this current season, too.

Kansas enters as one of the four 1-seeds in this NCAA Tournament, and the last time the Jayhawks were a 1-seed, it went to the Final Four in 2018 before losing against Villanova. Prior to that, the previous two trips to the tournament as a one in 2016 and 2017 resulted in trips to the Elite Eight. Let's just say Kansas will be using this game as a tune-up for a deep run into the tourney, and they'll be a decent chunk of the One Shining Moment highlight package in the end.

TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING ODDS

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TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING RESOURCES

  • Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022
  • Matchup: No. 16 vs. No. 1
  • Region: Midwest
  • Venue: Dickies Arena
  • Location: Fort Worth, Texas
  • TV-Time: truTV - 9:57 p.m. ET

TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 19-12
  • ATS: 17-13-1
  • O/U: 14-17

Texas Southern did a good job pushing past a decent Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team in the play-in game in Dayton, and the Tigers have done a great job in the First Four before. That's three consecutive victories in the First Four for the Tigers, including last season. The Tigers moved on to face Michigan last season, and fell 82-66. In 2018, the Tigers fell as a 16-seed to Xavier by a 102-83 score after a play-in victory. In three previous games against a 1-seed, Texas Southern has lost by 28.0 PPG. The Tigers did stun Florida back in December in Gainesville. But that will be their biggest highlight, because Kansas isn't blowing it here.

The Tigers are 3-0-1 ATS in the past four games overall, while going 9-2 ATS in the past 11 games as an underdog. Texas Southern is 4-0-1 ATS in the past five NCAA Tournament games, too, including its win over TXAMCC on Tuesday. That is going to come to an end in this one, as Kansas will take them behind the shed.

For totals, the OVER is 6-2 in the past eight games overall, while going 7-2 in the past nine NCAA Tournament games. That streak will continue here. The OVER is also 9-0 in the past nine following a cover, too.

KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 28-6
  • ATS: 17-16-1
  • O/U: 19-15

Kansas has racked up four consecutive covers, and the No. 1 seed will roll up another big cover here. No one feels good about laying 20 or more points in college hoops, especially in an NCAA Tournament game. It's fun cheering for the underdog. But Texas Southern is undersized, and there is no one to match up with Ochai Agbaji or Christian Braun, even remotely slowly that dynamic duo down.

Kansas is also 4-0 ATS in the past four as a favorite, and 4-0 ATS in the past four following a straight-up win, while going 5-1 ATS in the past six following a cover. While the Jayhawks are 1-4 ATS in the past five NCAA Tournament games, sometimes you have to buck the trends.

As far as total trends, the OVER is 6-1-1 in the past eight NCAA Tournament games, and that's a trend which will also get snapped. The Tigers are going to have trouble dealing with the size of the Jayhawks.

The OVER is 6-1-1 in the past eight NCAA Tournament Games for Kansas. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS

  • Record: 19-12
  • PS/G: 69.5 (222nd)
  • PA/G: 65.5 (68th)

INSIDE THE STATS - KANSAS JAYHAWKS

  • Record: 28-6
  • PS/G: 78.6 (25th)
  • PA/G: 68.1 (147th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • TXSO: Joirdon Karl Nicholas - F (9.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 58.8 FG%, 51.2 FT%)
  • TXSO: John Walker III - F (9.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 45.4 FG%, 37.5 3P%)
  • KAN: Ochai Agbaji - G (19.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.7 FG%, 41.1 3P%)
  • KAN: Christian Braun - G (14.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 50.9 FG%)

TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING CONCLUSION

The Jayhawks have a very talented team capable of winning the whole thing. Ochai Agbaji is one of the more unheralded players in the nation, as most basketball fans know exactly who he is, but the casual fan who fills out a $5 office pool bracket doesn't understand how good he really is. This team is legit, and he and Christian Braun make for a nice one-two punch. And there is plenty of depth here. Yes, we've seen Kansas choke in the past, as we get a little deeper into the tournament. But look for Kansas to start hot in this one, and keep its foot on the gas all the way to the Final Four.

MARCH MADNESS PICK RESOURCES

TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS vs. KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING TRENDS

  • Texas Southern is 3-0-1 ATS in the past four games overall.
  • Texas Southern is 4-0-1 ATS in the past five NCAA Tournament games.
  • Texas Southern is 18-7-1 ATS in the past 26 vs. winning teams.
  • Texas Southern is 9-2 ATS in the past 11 as an underdog.
  • Kansas is 4-0 ATS in the past four games overall.
  • Kansas is 4-0 ATS in the past four as a favorite.
  • Kansas is 1-4 ATS in the past five NCAA Tournament games.
  • The OVER is 6-2 in the past eight for Texas Southern.
  • The OVER is 7-2 in the past nine NCAA Tournament games for Texas Southern.
  • The UNDER is 9-3 in the past 12 games as an underdog for Texas Southern.
  • The OVER is 6-1-1 in the past eight NCAA Tournament games for Kansas.
  • The OVER is 4-1 in the past five neutral-site games for Kansas.