The No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks are eyeing back-to-back national championships as they meet the No. 8 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament West Region. The Jayhawks (28-7, 13-5 Big 12), the Big 12 Conference regular-season champions, have won 10 of their past 12 games. The Razorbacks (21-13, 8-10 SEC), who tied for ninth-place in the regular-season SEC standings, have struggled of late, dropping four of six and six of 10. This will be the second meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas registered a 93-81 win in 1991 in Charlotte, N.C. Kansas coach Bill Self will not be on the bench as he recovers from a recent hospital stay.
The game from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, will tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS. Arkansas is averaging 74.4 points per game, while Kansas averages 74.9. The Jayhawks are 4-point favorites in the latest Kansas vs. Arkansas odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 142.5. Before making any Arkansas vs. Kansas picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and March Madness betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Arkansas vs. Kansas and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for Arkansas vs. Kansas:
- Kansas vs. Arkansas spread: Kansas -4
- Kansas vs. Arkansas over/under: 142.5 points
- Kansas vs. Arkansas money line: Arkansas +160, Kansas -180
- ARK: The Razorbacks are 5-1 against the spread in their last six neutral site games
- KAN: The Jayhawks are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points
- Kansas vs. Arkansas picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Kansas can cover
Senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. had a solid effort in Thursday’s first-round win over Howard, registering 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes of action. It was the 20th time this season he has scored in double figures. He also has seven double-doubles on the year, including a 16-point and 13-rebound performance in a 90-78 win over Kansas State on Jan. 31. He entered the tournament averaging 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals in 30.7 minutes of action.
Also having a solid start to his NCAA Tournament is sophomore forward K.J. Adams Jr. In the win over Howard, he scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists in 28 minutes. It was his 19th double-digit scoring effort this year. His highest point total so far was a 22-point performance in a 79-75 win over Oklahoma on Jan. 10. Entering the tournament, he is averaging 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and two assists per game.
Why Arkansas can cover
Junior guard Ricky Council IV recorded his first double-double of the season on Thursday, when he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards in 39 minutes of action against Illinois. For the season, he is averaging 15.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.8 minutes. He has scored in double figures 29 times this season, including 10 games with 20 or more. Council scored a season-high 27 points in a 74-61 win over Troy on Nov. 28.
Freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. is one of five Razorbacks averaging in double-digit scoring. He scored six points on Thursday against the Illini, but had 16 in last week’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M. He had reached double-figure scoring in his seven previous games. In 14 games, including 11 starts, entering the tournament, he was averaging 14 points, two assists and 1.8 rebounds.
How to make Arkansas vs. Kansas picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 144 combined points. It also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Arkansas vs. Kansas? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Arkansas vs. Kansas spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned nearly $1,300 on its college basketball picks this season, and find out.
