Friday's NCAA basketball matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds will take place at Allen Fieldhouse. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds aim to start the season 4-1, while the Kansas Jayhawks hope to keep their perfect record.
Despite having a 3-1 record, the Thunderbirds are 0-0-1 against the spread. In their season opener, Southern Utah was defeated by New Mexico 89-81.
The Jayhawks, who were on the losing end of this contest the last time these two teams squared off, have a 3-0 record and a 1-2 record against the spread.
Kansas vs Southern Utah Betting Odds
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Kansas vs Southern Utah Match Details
Fixture: Thunderbirds at Jayhawks
Date and Time: Friday, November 18 at 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Kansas vs Southern Utah Key Stats
The Thunderbirds score 103.8 points per game on 53.4 percent of their shots while surrendering 64.8 points per game on 38.8 percent of their shots. Jason Spurgin averages 10.5 points and 1.5 assists, while Tevian Jones averages 18 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Cameron Healy is dishing out 2.3 assists, while Maizen Fausett is the third player with ten or more points. The Thunderbirds' field goal percentage is 36.7 percent, while their free throw percentage is 65 percent. They are also collecting 42.5 rebounds per game while only allowing 30.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Jayhawks score 80 points on average while making 49.8% of their shots, while they surrender 62.3 points on 36.8% of their shots. Gradey Dick averages 16.3 points and 3 rebounds, compared to Jalen Wilson's 21.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. MJ Rice, the third player in double figures, and Kevin McCullar Jr. are pulling down 5.3 rebounds.
The Jayhawks are making 53.1 percent of their free throws and 31.1 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc and are grabbing 40 rebounds per game while only allowing 23 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Kansas vs Southern Utah Best Picks and Prediction
The Thunderbirds have a 3-1-1 ATS record over their last five overall and road games combined. The Jayhawks have an over/under record of 13-5-1 in their previous 19 Friday games and 5-2 in their last 7 games after an over/under victory. In the Thunderbirds' last 29 away games, the over is 20-9. The under is 5-2 in all seven of the Jayhawks' overall games.
The Thunderbirds have only faced one Division I team through four games, despite the numbers suggesting they have a chance to compete in this match. Yeah…to put it mildly, the competition has significantly increased.
The Jayhawks are by far the superior team in this matchup and should prevail easily. The only issue is a potential letdown game following a significant victory over Duke. In either case, I'm betting on the Jayhawks to win by a point.
Pick: Jayhawks -21.5 (-114)
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