Howard vs Kansas Predictions, Odds, and Picks: Jayhawks Should Cruise Past the Bison

The Kansas Jayhawks will begin their title defense when they open their NCAA Tournament with a game against the Howard Bison in the West Region on Thursday.

No. 1 seed Kansas (27-7) have won nine out of their 11 games heading into our March Madness picks, with both losses coming to the Texas Longhorns. Howard (22-12) successfully qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1992, when it also faced Kansas in the first round.

The Jayhawks are one of the top tournament favorites according to March Madness odds, and it will take an extraordinary performance for the Bison to have any chance of victory. We’ll break down how this game might play out in our free college basketball picks and predictions for Howard vs. Kansas on March 16.

Howard vs Kansas best odds

Howard vs Kansas picks and predictions

Despite two losses to the Longhorns, Kansas has been one of the best all-around teams in the country this year and there are only a handful of teams in college basketball who can claim to be better than the Jayhawks.

While Howard has won 14 of their last 16 games, Kansas represents a serious step up in competition for the Bison.

And when we look at some of Howard's tougher competition earlier in the season, the Bison didn’t fair very well. They opened the season with a 95-63 road loss to Kentucky, and then Yale defeated the Bison by 46 points in New Haven.

To make matters worse for Howard, most of Kansas’ top players are returning faces from last year’s championship team. Despite playing perhaps the toughest slate in the country, the Jayhawks still won eight games by over 20 points this year.

Is there any path to victory in this game for Howard? The short answer is no, barring a complete collapse from the Jayhawks. The more important question for bettors is whether the Bison can keep this game close enough to cover the massive spread.

Advanced metrics are skeptical even in this regard. KenPom rates Kansas as more than 26 points better than Howard. The Simple Rating System is even less kind, showing a gap of 35 points between these two squads. There are exceptions to this rule, but most rankings see an enormous gap between these two sides, far more than even the line on this game suggests.

In recent years, we’ve seen some No. 16 seeds challenge the No. 1 seeds in the round of 64, with the UMBC Retrievers even famously knocking off the Virginia Cavaliers back in 2018.

However, this is not one of those games. Kansas will roll on Thursday afternoon, and it’s safe to lay the points.

My best bet: Kansas -21.5 (-110 at PointsBet)

Howard vs Kansas spread analysis

Kansas opened Thursday’s matchup as a 21.5-point favorite. While you can still find that line at some sites, the action is moving in the direction of the Jayhawks, with Howard now being offered at +22 or even +22.5 at some books. 

If you’re looking for a reason to back the Bison, they have covered in four straight games. Granted, the best team they’ve played in that span is Norfolk State...

It’s still hard to imagine that any of that translates to a showdown with the defending national champions. The Jayhawks will basically feel like they’re taking the weights off on Thursday when they finally get a break from the punishing Big 12 schedule.

These two teams are miles apart in terms of talent, and the results this season show it. Kansas will have no trouble joining that list on Thursday.

Howard vs Kansas Over/Under analysis

The total for this game opened at 145.5 points. There has been little movement so far, though some sites have pushed the Over/Under up to 146 as of Tuesday evening.

Most bettors will already know that Kansas runs an offense that is both fast-paced and efficient. The Jayhawks score 75.6 points per game on 46.4% shooting. 

Howard also plays at a reasonable pace to put up those numbers. The big difference — aside from the league the Bison play in — is that they don't possess nearly the same level of defensive talent as Kansas. While the Jayhawks are among the best teams in the country at slowing down the opposition, Howard ranks just 212th in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency metric.

I expect Kansas to be able to score, while Howard struggles to find effective options on offense. In the end, that should play to the Under, as the Bison won’t pull their weight.

Howard has hit the Under three straight times, while the Jayhawks have done so in seven consecutive games. I’m backing those trends to continue on Thursday.

Howard vs Kansas betting trend to know

Kansas is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against teams with winning percentages above .600. Find more college basketball betting trends for Charleston vs. San Diego State.

Howard vs Kansas game info

Howard vs Kansas key injuries

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