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The No. 16 Howard Bison (22-12) face the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks (27-7) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Action tips off at 2:00 p.m. ET. Below we continue our March Madness odds series with a Howard-Kansas prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Howard squeaked out a one-point win in the MAEC championship en route to securing their second NCAA Tournament bid. The Bison covered 58% of their games during the regular season while 52% went under the projected point total. Kansas got throttled in the Big 12 Championship but still managed to win the regular season crown. The Jayhawks covered 47% of their games while 53% went under. This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools after Kansas' 89-34 victory in 2011
Here are the Howard-Kansas March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Howard-Kansas Odds
Howard: +22.5 (-115)
Kansas: -22.5 (-105)
Over: 145.5 (-110)
Under: 145.5 (-110)
How To Watch Howard vs. Kansas
TV: TBS
Stream: March Madness Live
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Howard Could Cover The Spread
Howard played a tough non-conference slate that saw them go just 7-9. That being said, the Bison managed to pick up wins over Buffalo and FIU and battled against VCU. Their willingness to schedule difficult opponents was rewarded once they got to conference play. The Bison ran through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with an 11-3 record. Howard carried that success into the championship game where they took down Norfolk State thanks to last-second free throws from senior Jelani Williams. The Bison line up pretty well compared to some of the other 16 seeds although they are still the third-worst team in the field, sliding in at No. 216 in KenPom and No. 214 in NET.
Howard features a solid offense that can rain it in from deep thanks to their 37% three-point shooting – the 32nd-best mark in the country. While they are susceptible to turnovers, the Bison generate a ton of extra possessions on the offensive glass. Their 32% offensive rebound rate ranked 31st across Division-1. That could certainly be their recipe for success against the Jayhawks given their lackluster rebounding.
The Bison are a balanced team that relies on sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins. Hawkins has been cold in recent games but averages 13 PPG and 5.9 APG for the season. Additionally, they have the size to match up with Kansas thanks to 6'10” junior Steve Settle III. Settle paces the team in rebounding with 5.7 RPG in addition to his 11 PPG.
Why Kansas Could Cover The Spread
Kansas has had a worthy follow-up to last year's championship run as they ran through a loaded non-conference slate before winning yet another regular season Big 12 championship. The Jayhawks won an NCAA-record 17 Quad 1 wins. They face some adversity with the Big 12 championship game result and head coach Bill Self's health status. That being said, the Jayhawks are one of the most well-rounded teams in the country.
Kansas features an incredibly balanced attack, ranking 29th in offense and seventh in KenPom's efficiency metrics. They do a great job moving the ball and generating easy looks as they average the 12th-most assists per game. While their rebounding is a huge question mark, Kansas has as much star power as anyone thanks to their dynamic duo of Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick.
Wilson has made a tremendous leap in his junior season. After being an 11.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG player his first two seasons he has exploded onto the scene this season. Through 34 games, Wilson averages 20.1 PPG and 8.4 RPG. He made major improvements to his outside jumper as well and averages 2.0 threes per game. With five straight 20-point games coming into the tournament, look for Wilson to make his mark early as he seeks his second consecutive national championship.
For as good as Jalen Wilson has been this season, freshman Gradey Dick is the one with some serious NBA prospects. The 6'8″ guard is a lethal scorer who ranks second on the team with 14.1 PPG. Consequently, his size and quick release make him a dangerous outside shooter as he averages 2.3 threes per game while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. While Dick is coming off a poor performance in the Big 12 championship, expect the Jayhawks to feed him early and get him rolling into the rest of the tournament.
Final Howard-Kansas Prediction & Pick
Considering Kansas' insane strength of schedule and their number of Quad 1 wins, there's a real chance they overlook the 16-seeded Howard. Especially with Bill Self getting his feet wet, I could see Howard jumping on them in the first half with a first-half spread of +12.5 (-106). In short, I like the Bison to keep things tight in the first 20 minutes before Kansas wakes up and finishes them off in the second half.
Final Howard-Kansas Prediction & Pick: Howard 1H +12.5 (-106)
