2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 16 Texas Southern Tigers
How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, March 17
- Time: 9:57 p.m. ET
- Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
- TV: truTV
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 1 KAN | STAT | No. 16 TXSO |
| Big 12 | Conference | SWAC |
| 28-6 | Record | 19-12 |
| 78.6 (28th) | Points Per Game | 69.2 (247th) |
| 68.1 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.5 |
| 0.6607 (1st) | RPI | 0.4842 (206th) |
| 3rd | Strength of Schedule | 175th |
| Automatic Bid | Bid | Automatic 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%
Texas Southern leaders:
- John Walker III, G, SR: 9.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 46.4% FG, 41.0% 3PT
- Joirdon Karl Nicholas, F, SR: 9.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 56.5% FG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- KAN Moneyline: -3800
- TXSO Moneyline: +1600
- Spread: KAN -22
- Over/Under: 146
- ATS Record: KAN 17-16-1, TXSO 16-13-1
- Over/Under Record: KAN 19-15, TXSO 13-17
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- It’s pretty cool that the Tigers got a win on national TV on Tuesday night, but that will likely be where their story ends. They’re a fundamentally solid team who controlled the glass and shot over 74% from the free-throw line in route to a 76-67 win against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi
- This Jayhawks team is an entirely different beast. 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.
- The Jayhawks are 81st in the nation from behind the arc, shooting 35.5%, but the Tigers have held teams to 29.6% from three (21st in the country), which is an interesting matchup of skills, but the Tigers also haven’t seen an offense like this before.
- The Tigers also play at an okay pace, ranking 117th in adjusted tempo, so this game may lean more towards the over, which is why the over opened at 144.5 and has now climbed to 146. If it climbs much higher, betting the under in a game where Kansas figures to rest starters could wind up being the play.
