The Kansas Jayhawks and Gonzaga Bulldogs square off Thursday afternoon in their season opener with a 1:30 p.m. ET tip-off in Fort Myers, Fla. Below, we analyze the Kansas-Gonzaga college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Gonzaga opens the season ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, while Kansas opens at No. 5.
Kansas vs. Gonzaga: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:35 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Kansas +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Gonzaga -182 (bet $182 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kansas +3.5 (+105) | Gonzaga -3.5 (-129)
- Over/Under: 149.5 (O: -121 | U: +100)
Kansas vs. Gonzaga: Three things to know
- This is just the second all-time meeting between these college basketball titans. Kansas won the only previous matchup by an 80-66 score back on Nov. 13, 1998.
- The Zags received great news earlier this week, as the NCAA cleared transfer G Andrew Nembhard to play. He is a transfer from the University of Florida, and he led the SEC in 2019-20 with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio while posting 11.2 points per game and dishing out 5.6 assists per outing.
- The Jayhawks have posted a 9-4 ATS mark across their past 13 neutral-site games, but they’re just 3-8 ATS in the previous 11 as underdogs. The Bulldogs have posted a 1-5 ATS mark in the past six neutral-site affairs. The Over is 5-0 in the past five neutral-site games for Kansas an an underdog, while the Over is 6-0 in Gonzaga’s past six neutral-site games as a favorite.
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Kansas vs. Gonzaga: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Gonzaga 79, Kansas 77
Money line (ML)
GONZAGA (-182) is a decent play on the money line, as we have two big-name programs with rosters littered with All-Americans facing one another in a neutral-site affair which should be super close. It really could go either way, although Gonzaga is a little more stacked. The addition of Nembhard really makes a huge difference here.
Against the spread (ATS)
KANSAS +3.5 (+105) is a decent value at plus-money catching three and a hook. As mentioned above, KU has connected in nine of the past 13 neutral-site games, and while many look at Gonzaga’s roster and how well it’s stacked, the Jayhawks are in pretty good shape, too. G Marcus Garrett, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, will team with G Christian Braun and F David McCormack in an upset bid which just falls short.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 149.5 (-121) is the best play on the board in this top-5 matchup. Both of these teams have shown out over the years in neutral-site battles, flashing big offense. This one won’t be any different.
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