It will be a battle between Big 12 opponents when the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks (15-3) welcome the Texas Longhorns (12-6) to Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Jayhawks lost big to Oklahoma State 86-67 on Tuesday. Devonte’ Graham played well for Kansas, contributing 10 points, five assists, and three rebounds. The Longhorns are coming off a 56-49 win over West Virginia on Wednesday. Javan Felix shot 4 for 9 and led in scoring with 17 points.
Kansas is a considerable 10-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 142 points. The Jayhawks enter the game with records of 15-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6 Against The Spread (ATS). The Jayhawks come into the game with the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 84.8 points per game. The Jayhawks are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .438 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Jayhawks, sporting the 33rd-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.43), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Transitioning to the Kansas defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Jayhawks, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .395. An area where the Jayhawks are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 28.1 per game, 42nd in Division I.
On the other side, the Longhorns have a 12-6 SU record, but have struggled ATS with a 6-11 record. They average 4.9 blocks per game, good for 47th in the nation.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time Kansas and Texas played, Kansas won, moving its SU record against Texas to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. However, Texas leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Kansas held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last five meetings. Texas never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kansas, ATS Winner – Kansas, O/U – Over
Notes
Kansas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Kansas is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas’s last 9 games.
Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas’s last 8 games when playing Texas.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas’s last 6 games when playing at home against Texas.
Kansas is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 84.8 points per game (ranked 11th). Texas, on the other hand, allows 68.0 points per game (ranked 107th).
Kansas lost its last game by a 19-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Texas is 1-0. Kansas is 8-1 in blowouts this season.
The Kansas Jayhawks have a defensive rating of 95.3 (ranked 36th), while the Texas Longhorns have an offensive rating of 108.8 (ranked 103rd).
Ranked 16th in the country, Kansas has an average field goal percentage of 49.0%. Texas is 2-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Kansas attempts 19.0 three pointers and Texas attempts 22.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Kansas Jayhawks sit at 8-2 and the Texas Longhorns are 9-5.
Kansas ranks 33rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43. Texas is ranked lower at 162nd with an A/TO of 1.07.
Kansas, the 67th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.2 rebounds per game. Texas does worse, ranked 191st with 36.3.
On average, Kansas makes 7.9 steals per game. Texas has a winning 3-1 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
