2022 NCAA Tournament Second Round: No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 9 Creighton Blue Jays
How to Watch:
- Date: Saturday, March 19
- Time: 2:40 p.m. ET
- Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 1 KU | STAT | No. 9 CRE |
| Big 12 | Conference | Big East |
| 29-6 | Record | 23-11 |
| 78.6 (28th) | Points Per Game | 69.0 (251st) |
| 68.1 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.9 |
| 0.6607 (1st) | RPI | 0.5857 (40th) |
| 3rd | Strength of Schedule | 35th |
| Automatic Bid | Bid | At-Large Bid |
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Kansas leaders:
- Ochai Agbaji, G, SR: 19.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 40.5% 3PT
- Christian Braun, G, JR: 14.6 points, 6.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 50.3 FG%
Creighton leaders:
- Ryan Hawkins, F, SR: 13.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 35.9% 3PT
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, SO: 13.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 64.6% FG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- KU Moneyline: -720
- CRE Moneyline: +500
- Spread: KU -12
- Over/Under: 139.5
- ATS Record: KU 18-16-1, CRE 20-14
- Over/Under Record: KU 20-15, CRE 11-21
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- This Jayhawks team is one of the best in the tournament. They’re ranked 6th by KenPom, with the 6th most efficient offense and 28th-most efficient defense. They also play at the 68th fastest pace by adjusted tempo, so they are going to let their star guards try to get out and run. Meanwhile, the Bluejays operate at the 189th slowest pace and have the 18th most efficient defense, so they do have the potential to slow down these Kansas guards if they are playing at their best.
- However, Creighton only played six players in their first-round game, and that’s an awful lot to put on the shoulders of their starters against an elite Kansas team that plays at the pace that they do. It might be too much to ask to keep up for an entire game.
- The Jayhawks are also 81st in the nation from behind the arc, shooting 35.5%. The Bluejays, meanwhile, are one of the worst teams in the nation from long-range, shooting just 30.7% on 21.8 attempts per game (316th). They also went just 2-14 (14.3%) in their win over San Diego State in round one, but that’s not going to fly against the Jayhawks. It particularly won’t fly if the Jayhawks shoot like they did in round one, connecting on 11 of 23 from downtown for 47.8%.
- The Blue Jays also outrebounded the Aztecs 41-32 and forced 16 turnovers. However, they also committed 20 turnovers of their own, which is another thing they absolutely cannot do if they hope to have any shot in this game.
