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The No. 13 seed Samford Bulldogs (29-5) will battle the 4th-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (22-10) Thursday in the 1st round of the Midwest Region. Tip from Delta Center in Salt Lake City is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Samford vs. Kansas odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Samford has won 4 games in a row after beating ETSU 76-69 in the SoCon Championship Game Monday but failed to cover as an 8-point favorite. F Achor Achor scored a game-high 25 points, while 3 total Samford players scored in double figures. The Bulldogs shot 43.4% from the field in the win.
Kansas fell 72-52 to Cincinnati in the 2nd round of the Big 12 Tournament March 13, failing to cover as a 3-point underdog. F K.J. Adams scored a team-high 22 points vs. Cincy, while Kansas shot 33.9% from the field in the loss. The Jayhawks played without C Hunter Dickinson and leading scorer G Kevin McCullar Jr. (18.3 points per game) due to injuries. While Dickinson is expected to play Thursday, McCullar Jr. has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Kansas is No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Samford vs. Kansas odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:47 a.m. ET,
- Moneyline (ML): Samford +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Kansas -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Samford +7.5 (-110) | Kansas -7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 153.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Samford vs. Kansas picks and predictions
Prediction
Kansas 73, Samford 68
Moneyline
PASS.
There is no value on Kansas (-300) to beat a less superior team. However, keep a close eye on Samford, who is 8-2 in its last 10, who could put the Jayhawks on upset alert.
Against the spread
BET SAMFORD +7.5 (-110).
Samford has covered in 2 of its last 3 games and has scored 76 or more points in 3 of its last 4. It faces a Kansas squad that is just 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games, including 1-4 ATS in its last 5. With Kansas missing its leading scorer, the Bulldogs have enough offensive ability to keep this game within reach.
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Over/Under
BET UNDER 153.5 (-110).
Samford has hit the Under in 2 of its last 3 games while scoring 76 or fewer in each of those games and in 4 of its last 7. Kansas has failed to hit the Over in 7 of its last 10 games including each of its last 2 in which it scored 52 points or fewer in each game. It has scored 74 or fewer in 8 of its last 10.
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