The Texas Southern Tigers won their First Four showdown on Tuesday but things get much tougher for them in the first round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament as they lock horns with the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks.
March Madness odds opened with the Jayhawks as 21.5-point favorites for this contest which takes place in Fort Worth, Texas.
Here are our best free March Madness picks and predictions for Texas Southern vs. Kansas Thursday, March 17, with tipoff at 9:57 p.m. ET.
Texas Southern vs Kansas odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This total hit the board with Kansas installed as a 21.5-point favorite with the Over/Under at 144.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Texas Southern vs Kansas predictions
- Prediction: Texas Southern +21.5 (-110)
- Prediction: Under 144.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Texas Southern TT Under 61.5 (-120)
Predictions made on 3/16/2022 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Texas Southern vs Kansas game info
• Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX
• Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:57 p.m. ET
• TV: truTV
Texas Southern vs Kansas betting preview
Injuries
Texas Southern: None.
Kansas: Mitch Lightfoot F (Questionable), Bob Pettiford G (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Tigers are 4-0-1 in their last five NCAA Tournament games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Texas Southern vs. Kansas.
Texas Southern vs Kansas picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The Kansas Jayhawks roll into March Madness with the fourth-best odds of winning the national title after cruising to the Big 12 Tournament championship. The Jayhawks are talented, deep, well-coached, and play exceptionally well on both ends of the floor. The big question is whether they can cover such a massive 21.5-point spread in the opening round.
Looking at the Tigers lineup, we're not so sure. Texas Southern has been an underdog of more than 12 points on five occasions this season and covered each time — including a 69-54 win on the road against Florida in December.
The Tigers are mediocre offensively, but they're tough on the defensive end of the floor where they hold foes to 65.5 points per game on 39.5 FG%. They also have exceptional depth (eight players logging more than 19 minutes per game) and loads of experience (with seven of those players in their senior year). And don't expect them to be overwhelmed by the big stage since this will be their fourth time facing off against a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2017.
We'll side with the dogs and the points against a Jayhawks team that might be looking ahead.
Prediction: Texas Southern +21.5 (-110)
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Over/Under analysis
The Jayhawks have been very efficient on offense this season, but they're also extremely tough on the defensive end of the floor where they have limited foes to less than 70 points in five straight games.
Now they take on a mediocre Texas Southern offense that shoots just 43.7% from the floor and struggled to score against out-of-conference foes earlier in the season failing to crack the 70-point barrier in their first eight contests. We're taking the Under.
Prediction: Under 144.5 (-110)
Best bet
Following on our previous lean, our biggest concern about betting the Under is that Kansas decides to play fast and loose and fills up the bucket as it has done against overmatched opponents such as Kansas State, Mizzou, and Iona.
So, let's take the Jayhawks offense out of the equation and focus on their defensive play. The Tigers have put up some duds against SWAC opponents and now take on a Kansas team that has been locking down on defense lately.
Southern also turns the ball over at an extremely high rate and once it falls behind, it doesn't have the 3-point shooting to cut into the Jayhawks' lead. We're taking the Under on the Tigers team total.
Pick: Texas Southern team total Under 61.5 (-120)
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