The ninth-ranked Texas Longhorns (7-1, 1-0 Big 12) visit the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks (8-1, 2-0) Saturday for a noon ET tip-off at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. Below, we analyze the Texas-Kansas college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Ranking courtesy of USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Texas at Kansas: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Texas +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Kansas -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Texas +4.5 (-110) | Kansas -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 136.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Texas at Kansas: Three things to know
- The Longhorns will be playing in their first true road game, although they’re 3-0 straight-up and 2-1 ATS in three neutral-site affairs. They covered the spread in wins over Indiana and North Carolina in those outings. Their only setback is a 68-64 loss to then-No. 12 Villanova in Austin Dec. 6.
- Kansas is coming off back-to-back conference wins – and covers – blasting West Virginia 79-65 as a 2-point favorite Dec. 22, and winning 58-57 as a 3.5-point underdog at Texas Tech Dec. 17. Overall, the Jayhawks have won eight straight since a 102-90 loss to top-ranked Gonzaga on a neutral site in their season opener, and they have covered three in a row.
- The Jayhawks hit a rare Over last time out against the Mountaineers, snapping a 5-0 Under run. The Under is 3-1 in the past four games at Allen Fieldhouse for KU. Kansas is averaging 78.7 points per game, while yielding just 66.1 PPG. The Jayhawks have been maddening to Over bettors, as they struggle with a 72.1 free-throw percentage.
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Texas at Kansas: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Kansas 68, Texas 66
Money line (ML)
Kansas (-200) is a risky play at home against a fellow top-10 team. They Jayhawks should be able to protect their home court and get the win, but risking two times your potential return is not a good bet.
PASS.
Against the spread (ATS)
TEXAS +4.5 (-110) has the goods to pull the road upset. These two teams should battle for Big 12 supremacy for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign. The road team has covered in 11 of the past 13 head-to-head battles between these two conference titans, and Saturday should be no different. Texas closed last season with a 5-1 ATS mark in its final six road contests, too.
Over/Under (O/U)
The lean is UNDER 136.5 (-110), although my preference would be to skip this wager completely. College basketball Unders are so stressful, especially when you expect the total to come in right around the line. The Under is 5-1 in the past six for Kansas, and 4-0 in its past four against winning teams. The Under is 5-1 in the past six for Texas.
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