Kansas vs Indiana Odds, Picks and Predictions: Deck the Halls

We have a potentially exciting non-conference college hoops game on Saturday when the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks travel to Bloomington for a matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. 

Kansas is riding a five-game winning streak when they meet the Hoosiers, while Indiana hopes to bounce back from a disastrous blowout neutral court loss to Auburn. 

The Assembly Hall faithful will be rocking on Saturday afternoon. Please join me as I take a closer look at the college basketball odds and give you my best, free college basketball picks as I preview Kansas vs Indiana on Saturday, December 16.

Kansas vs Indiana best odds

Kansas vs Indiana picks and predictions

The highly anticipated matchup between Kansas and Indiana marks the first true road game for the Jayhawks. They’ve played to a 2-1 record in three neutral court matchups thus far, and they’ll face a heavy-hearted Indiana program after the passing earlier this week of former Indiana great George McGinnis.

Indiana is coming off a brutal 104-76 neutral court loss to Auburn in a game where they seemed to shake their three-point shooting woes with a solid first half but went ice cold in the second stanza and were blown out by a Tigers group they likely should’ve defeated.

The Hoosiers were looking good up to that Auburn loss. They won consecutive Big Ten matchups over Maryland and Michigan, with their only other loss this season coming against No. 5 ranked UConn on a neutral court. 

The trouble with Indiana is they struggle to score from downtown. Shooting 27% from beyond the arc isn’t going to win many ballgames, especially not when the defense hasn’t succeeded in getting the big stops in big matchups like the one they have Saturday against Kansas.

The Hoosiers' defense will have a difficult time slowing down Kansas. The Jayhawks have one blemish on their record, a 73-59 neutral court loss to No. 7 Marquette. Otherwise, Kansas has been as advertised, but the Jayhawks might be missing forward J.K. Adams, making it hard for Kansas to cover the +7-point spread.

The Jayhawks are playing their first true away matchup this season. They are 4-6-0 ATS and, thus far, with a 1-3-0 ATS record on a neutral court. The defense isn’t consistent, and they do a poor job of forcing turnovers. That makes it hard to win, let alone cover the spread and is a big reason they are 1-3-0 ATS away from home.

Indiana will have to play a great game just to cover, but the McGinnis pre-game memorial will inspire them, and they should have a bad taste in their mouth after not showing up in the second half against Auburn. 

The Hoosiers need to focus on their strengths; according to ShotQuality, Indiana's strengths are their strong post-up game, high-efficiency rating at the cup, and draining free throws. If they do that well, and they will, they can cover the spread.

Finally, Indiana will need to do most things near perfection just to cover, but the Jayhawks are playing in their first hostile environment game and do have some turnover issues. Kansas will have a more difficult time without Adams's defense and third-best scorer on the floor. The Hoosiers are coming off of an ugly loss but return home where they are undefeated but 1-3-0 ATS. Look for Indiana to cover the +7 as the underdog for the first time this season. 

My best bet: Indiana +7 (-110 at Caesars)

Kansas vs Indiana same-game parlay

Indiana +7

Over 147 points

+264 at Caesars

I like Indiana to cover as a +7 home underdog. Adams's absence will be a huge loss for Kansas. The Assembly Hall faithful can be harsh, and you can bet they will be on top of Kansas center Hunter Dickinson and any other Jayhawks player who dares to touch the ball or chucks up an airball. 

The final outcome of this matchup could end much higher than the number. Both programs play an above-average tempo, and missing Adams will hurt the Jayhawks' defense. I expect the Hoosiers to knock down some triples early, force some turnovers, and add to their 12.7 points from turnovers average. 

Flip that around, and we have a Kansas offense that can score from anywhere. They drain 40% from downtown, but the trey accounts for 26% of their production. Look for both teams to fire away, and this game ends with Over 147 points. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Kansas vs Indiana spread and Over/Under analysis

This game opened as low as Kansas -5.5 (-110) at DraftKings, but that number was swiftly bet up to -6.5 (-110). DraftKings has the best number available, but FanDuel opened at -6.5 (-110), and that number hasn’t budged. 

Kansas -5.5 was the best number, and we won’t see that number close anywhere near -5.5. I expect the game to close at -6.5, and I believe Indiana's +7 is the best number we will see pregame.

The total has been bouncing a bit. FanDuel opened at 146.5 (-110) and that spiked to 147.5 (-110). Over 146.5 (-110) was the best number you’ll likely find, but Caesars has Over 147 (-110) after opening 148 (-110).

Under bettors lost the best number five minutes after Caesars hung Under 148 (-110). That number dipped to 147.5 for about one hour and is now 147 (-110). That will likely be where this game closes and why I played Over on the SGP card. 

If I have any lean at all, it would be Indiana +220 at FanDuel. The Hoosiers could win, but I would like at least +234 or better before that taking that plunge. Kansas is a dangerous team, and we want the best odds available.

Kansas vs Indiana betting trend to know

Kansas is 0-5 ATS over their last five games when favored by seven points or more. Find more college basketball betting trends for Kansas vs. Indiana.

Kansas vs Indiana game info

Kansas vs Indiana key injuries

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