Bill Self and the fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks continue their 2020-21 journey with a non-conference game on Friday evening. Kansas hosts the Omaha Mavericks at Allen Fieldhouse. Omaha arrives with a 2-4 record, though the team did win its last matchup. Kansas is 5-1 on the season, with wins over Kentucky and Creighton and the team’s only loss is against top-ranked Gonzaga.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Jayhawks as 24.5-point home favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 146.5 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 -24.5
- Kansas vs. Omaha over-under: 146.5 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
Kansas has a tremendous talent advantage in this matchup, with high-level players all over the roster. Freshman forward Jalen Wilson has been a standout to this point, averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard Ochai Agbaji contributed in a big way to the 2019-20 team and, in the early going, he is averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Marcus Garrett is the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and he brings tenacity on the perimeter.
Beyond that, Kansas is a top-tier team on both ends of the floor in terms of overall metrics, including a top-10 mark nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Jayhawks also have the benefit of playing at home in Lawrence, with Omaha ranking near the bottom of the country in multiple offensive categories like shooting efficiency and turnover rate.
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.
