Two of the best teams in the nation will square off Saturday afternoon as the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks take on the No. 9 Texas Longhorns. This Big 12 matchup will be hosted by the Longhorns at the Moody Center, with tipoff scheduled for 4:00 pm ET.
Texas is the slight favorite playing at home. They are -152 to win, while the Jayhawks’ moneyline sits at +126. The spread features Kansas as 2.5-point underdogs (-102), and the over/under for total points is 148.5.
Jayhawks Riding Winning Streak Into Lone Star State
At 25-5, the Kansas Jayhawks have had a remarkable season and have secured the Big 12 championship. Still, they would like to keep their seven-game winning streak going as they head to the Lone Star State to take on the Longhorns. This season, they are 7-3 on the road.
Kansas currently ranks 55th in the nation, averaging 76.1 points per game (73.1 on the road). They are led by junior forward Jalen Wilson, who is averaging 19.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Other contributors for the Jayhawks include Gradey Dick (14.5 points, five rebounds, 1.5 steals), Kevin McCullar Jr (11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals), and K.J. Adams Jr (10.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, two assists).
Defensively, the Jayhawks rank 102nd in the nation, allowing opponents an average of 68 points per game.
Texas Looks To Exact Revenge On Home Court
Despite being ranked ninth in the country, the Longhorns are fourth in the Big 12. This speaks to the volume of quality in the conference. Still, the Longhorns are looking to exact some revenge after losing to Kansas 88-80 earlier in the year, but they will look to take advantage of playing at the Moody Center, where they are 16-1 season.
Defensively, Texas ranks 132nd in the nation, allowing an average of 69 points per game to opponents. On the offensive side, the Longhorns rank 22nd, averaging 79 points per game (85.4 at home).
The offense is led by senior guard Marcus Carr. In 30 games, he is averaging 16.6 points, three rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals.
The Longhorns have three others averaging double digits in Sir’Jabari Rice (12.2 points, 3.3 rebounds), Timmy Allen (10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists), and Tyrese Hunter (10.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists).
Take Kansas And The Points
Looking at the trends, Kansas is 7-0 straight up and 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games. In their last 19 games against Texas, they are 15-4 overall. They are also 4-1 against the spread in their last five road games.
For Texas, they are 13-7 in their last 20 games and undefeated in their last seven home games. In four of the last five games against Kansas, the OVER has hit.
Texas will certainly be amped up for Saturday’s contest, especially playing at home. Still, it is hard to ignore just how well the Jayhawks have been playing to end the season.
Expect this one to be close throughout and, for that reason, take the points. In this case, that means taking Kansas +2.5 points (-102).
