TCU vs Kansas Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight's College Basketball Game

TCU's defense will help it stay in tonight's game against the Jayhawks.

Eric Rosales - Contributor at Covers.com
Eric Rosales • Betting Analyst
Jan 6, 2026 • 10:18 ET • 4 min read

NCAAB

Jan 06 • 9:00 PM ET
KU
49 %
TCU
51 %
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Texas Christian +7.5 (-110) Texas Christian +7.5 (-110)
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TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punch (15) controls the ball in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center.
Photo By - Imagn Images. TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punch (15) controls the ball in the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center.

After opening Big Ten play with a loss, the 22nd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks look to even their record when they host the TCU Horned Frogs.

While the Jayhawks have dominated this head-to-head, my TCU vs Kansas predictions and college basketball picks have the Horned Frogs staying within range on January 6.

TCU vs Kansas prediction

TCU vs Kansas best bet: TCU +7.5 (-110)

Kansas dropped its conference opener on the road at UCF, 81-75.

Offense has been a problem for the Jayhawks this year, currently 14th in Big Ten scoring at 75.8 points per game. They've scored 77 points or less three times in their last four outings. 

Part of that is tied to star freshman Darryn Peterson’s inability to stay on the court, hindered by cramping and lingering leg injuries. 

Meanwhile, TCU is coming off a big 69-63 win over Baylor to kick off its Big Ten slate, holding the 11th-highest scoring team in the nation (93.1 points) to its lowest scoring output of the year.

Like Kansas, TCU ranks outside the Top 10 in Big Ten scoring at 79.9 points per game, so it might be hard pressed to run it up on the Jayhawks, who rank Top 4 in the nation in both opposition field goal percentage allowed (37.1%) and 3-point shooting defense (25.5%).

That doesn’t mean TCU isn’t a good bet for Tuesday: the Horned Frogs are 7-3-0 against the spread against Kansas in the last 10, including a crisp 5-1-0 ATS over the previous six at Allen Fieldhouse.

Throw in a defense that actually allows fewer points than Kansas, and the limitations around Darryn Peterson’s legs, and I like TCU taking this one down to the wire in Lawrence.

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TCU vs Kansas same-game parlay

TCU forward David Punch leads the team in scoring this year at 14 points per game on a cool 53.8% shooting. It’s a generous 11.5-point line for him tonight, as he’s scored 12 or more points in seven of his last nine games.

With Peterson missing a bunch of games, Tre White is part of a three-headed de facto scoring option with Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr. White has an exceptionally gettable 12.5 line scoring total, considering he’s gone Over that number nine times in the last 11 games.

TCU vs Kansas SGP

  • TCU +6.5
  • David Punch Over 11.5 points
  • Tre White Over 12.5 points

Our beyond the arc SGP: P-U Pierre

Senior Jayden Pierre has connected on at least two 3-point makes in three of the last four, and nine times in the last 12. However, he’s been on the road just once, so that Kansas defense and the hostile environment might not be the optimal conditions for success.

Bidunga leads the Jayhawks in rebounding and has hit double-digit boards in five of his last eight games. But TCU is allowing the third-fewest opponent rebounds in the conference.

TCU vs Kansas SGP

  • TCU +6.5
  • David Punch Over 11.5 points
  • Tre White Over 12.5 points
  • Jayden Pierre Under 1.5 threes
  • Flory Bidunga Under 9.5 rebounds

TCU vs Kansas odds

  • Spread: TCU +7.5 | Kansas -7.5
  • Moneyline: TCU +250 | Kansas -310
  • Over/Under: Over 143.5 | Under 143.5

TCU vs Kansas betting trend to know

The Under has cashed in six of the last seven head-to-head matchups. Find more college basketball betting trends for TCU vs. Kansas.

How to watch TCU vs Kansas

Location Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
Date Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Tip-off 9:00 p.m. ET
TV ESPN

TCU vs Kansas key injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Eric Rosales - Covers
Betting Analyst

Eric has been involved in sports media in many different capacities since graduating from journalism school in 1999, back when getting your own column in a newspaper was still considered a thing. He doubled down and graduated from broadcast journalism school five years later, which led to a move to Toronto and a career with The Sports Network (TSN). From behind-the-scenes production work, he moved into the digital realm, where he had his own hoops column (At the Buzzer), while regularly live streaming and chatting with fans during broadcasts as the character known as LeBlog James. He was also a key contributor to TSN and CTV’s Olympic programming during the 2012 London Games.

Eric eventually found his way into the sports betting field in 2016 and has been a mainstay ever since. He was tagged on Twitter as a Top 10 NBA sharp during the 2021 season and has been interviewed about basketball and his handicapping process on shows from Vancouver to India. Eric is now a jack-of-all-sports at Covers, where his predictions span the alphabet soup: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, F1, WNBA, Euro, and Copa.

When making picks, he focuses on finding value first and foremost, and ensuring readers have all the information they need to make an informed choice.

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