The No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks (5-1) welcome the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks to Lawrence for a non-conference battle on Friday evening. The matchup will take place at Allen Fieldhouse, with the Jayhawks entering on a five-game winning streak. Kansas did suffer a season-opening loss to No. 1 Gonzaga, but its profile includes a win over Kentucky and a one-point victory over Creighton in its last outing. Omaha is 2-4 on the young season, but the Mavericks did knock off SIU-Edwardsville in their last game.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET in Lawrence. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Jayhawks as 24-point home favorites, down half a point from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 144 in the latest Kansas vs. Omaha odds. Before making any Omaha vs. Kansas picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It’s also off to a fast start in the 2020-21 season, going 5-1 on all its top-rated picks and returning over $400. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Kansas vs. Omaha. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Omaha vs. Kansas:
- Kansas vs. Omaha spread: Kansas -24
- Kansas vs. Omaha over-under: 144 points
- KAN: The Jayhawks are 7-10 against the spread in the last 17 home games
- OMA: The Mavericks are 7-12-1 against the spread in the last 20 games as an underdog
Why Kansas can cover
The Jayhawks have impressive units both offensively and defensively, forming a top-10 overall team in the country. Kansas is a strong 3-point shooting team, converting 37.5 percent of attempts, and the Jayhawks are above-average in both turnover rate (17.2 percent) and offensive rebound rate (32.7 percent). Omaha is allowing opponents to shoot 40.9 percent from 3-point range, and the Mavericks are vulnerable to the Jayhawks’ level of talent offensively.
On the other end, Kansas ranks in the top 10 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, with reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Garrett as the centerpiece. The Jayhawks hold opponents to 30.6 percent shooting from 3-point range, with a 77.9 percent defensive rebound rate. Omaha is one of the shakier teams in the country in overall shooting efficiency, making just 28.0 percent on 3s and 44.5 percent and 2s, and Kansas also adds above-average metrics in block rate (10.2 percent) and steal rate (10.6 percent).
Why Omaha can cover
The Mavericks are at a talent disadvantage in this matchup, but they do have some areas of strength to focus on against Kansas. Offensively, Omaha is above-average at generating free-throw attempts, which helps boost overall efficiency. Senior forward Matt Pile leads the way in averaging 10.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and he is shooting 56 percent from the floor this season.
On the defensive end, Omaha is holding opponents to 47.3 percent shooting on 2-point attempts, and the Mavericks are also above-average in defensive rebound rate (75.7 percent) and steal rate (9.7 percent). Omaha is also a top-50 team in the country in preventing opponents from attempting 3-pointers, with opponents taking only 31.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc this season.
How to make Kansas vs. Omaha picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with Jalen Wilson projected to fall short of his scoring average and Omaha projected to have no players scoring in double figures. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Omaha vs. Kansas? And which side of the spread cashes well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Kansas vs. Omaha spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $2,700 on its top-rated college basketball spread picks over the past four-plus years, and find out.
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