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The Missouri Tigers are set to face the Kansas Jayhawks this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Missouri Kansas prediction, odds, and pick.
Missouri versus Kansas. The Border War is back. If there is a Texas-Texas A&M equivalent in college basketball — a series in the Big 12 which got interrupted because one of the two teams went to the SEC, but still should have continued — this is the comparison. People who follow college basketball odds are thinking about a Missouri Kansas pick. They are also thinking about the many years in which this rivalry was allowed to waste away before being renewed here.
A Missouri Kansas prediction is something fans should have been able to make in each of the past nine years, but at least the rivalry has returned to the hardwood, at long last, for the first time since 2012. Old Big Eight fans who remember Missouri coach Norm Stewart matching wits with Kansas legends Larry Brown and Roy Williams will be very excited about this clash. Younger fans will get a taste of the hatred which has been missing for nearly a decade.
Missouri enters this game in bad shape. Coach Cuonzo Martin has not been able to push the right buttons for a team which has lost by 21 to Liberty and 23 to Florida State. Missouri was also humiliated in a loss to UMKC, an in-state team from a small conference. Missouri must beat Kansas to have any remote chance of crafting an NCAA Tournament-worthy at-large resume. Given that the Jayhawks have been waiting for this rivalry reunion, it will be an extremely tough task for the Tigers.
Kansas has scored solid wins over Michigan State and Iona in the early part of the season, but the Jayhawks have looked mortal. They lost to Dayton in a result which caught everyone by surprise. Their frontcourt is not where it needs to be if KU is to make a strong push for the Final Four. Jayhawk fans will expect a blowout of Mizzou, so if Kansas falls short of that standard, concerns will be raised in Lawrence about the team Bill Self is putting on the floor.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:
College Basketball odds: Missouri-Kansas Odds
Missouri: +22.5 (-108)
Kansas: -22.5 (-112)
Over: 142.5 (-110)
Under: 142.5 (-110)
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Why Missouri Could Cover the Spread
The spread is really, really large. That's the biggest reason Mizzou can cover the spread. Kansas has not been overwhelmingly great. It has been good, but not quite an elite team in the first month of the season. David McCormack is a talented big man for the Jayhawks, but many analysts feel Kansas gets more out of its talent when it uses a smaller lineup. It's clear that Bill Self is still figuring out his best lineup combinations. Remy Martin, who transferred from Arizona State, has a lot of room for growth in the backcourt. He is an electric scorer when he is on, but he has not been particularly consistent for the Jayhawks. If he struggles, Missouri should keep this game within 10 to 15 points.
Why Kansas Could Cover the Spread
The Jayhawks are facing a Missouri team which got run out of the gym by Liberty and Florida State. You will note that Florida State is not that good this season. The Seminoles have been a Sweet 16-level program in recent years, but they are not looking like an NCAA Tournament team in what has been a miserable start to the season for the ACC. Yet, Florida State still hammered Mizzou by 23. If FSU can beat Missouri by 23, Kansas can win by 33 or even 43.
Final Missouri-Kansas Prediction & Pick
The fact that Kansas and Missouri hate each other means that in an imbalanced matchup such as this one, the team with the horses is in position to run away and deliver a massive blowout. Jayhawks by 30.
Final Missouri-Kansas Pick: Kansas -22.5
