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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UCF-Kansas prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UCF-Kansas.
The Kansas Jayhawks have fallen quite a distance from their early-November ranking. They were expected to be one of the top teams in the country. When they faced North Carolina early in the season, that game seemed to be a matchup of two of the better teams in the country. Yet, both KU and UNC turned out to be massive disappointments. At least Kansas will still make the NCAA Tournament, unlike Carolina, but still: This is not the Bill Self standard at KU.
Every previous Self-coached team at Kansas got at least a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This year's KU team will break that streak of over two decades. Kansas might be a No. 7 seed, maybe even 8, possibly a 6. The Jayhawks just haven't come together on the court. Their pieces have not fit. Their high-profile players such as Hunter Dickinson have not performed up to their full potential. Kansas will try to regroup at the Big 12 Tournament and make a deep run in the bracket which could boost the Jayhawks' seeding in March Madness.
Here are the UCF-Kansas College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Big 12 Tournament Odds: UCF-Kansas Odds
UCF: +10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +430
Kansas: -10.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -600
Over: 152.5 (-115)
Under: 152.5 (-105)
How to Watch UCF vs. Kansas
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN2
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why UCF Will Cover The Spread/Win
We have to wonder if this is the end of the line for UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. He has been at UCF for nearly a full decade with only one NCAA Tournament appearance to show for it. This might seem like a reason to pick against UCF, but the point we are getting at is that Dawkins' players are playing hard for him, wanting to continue his season and his UCF tenure. We saw this in UCF's win over Utah in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. UCF fell behind by nine points early in the game, and it would have been easy for the Knights to pack it in. Yet, they outscored Utah by more than 20 points in an extended stretch of time which bridged the first half and the second half. The Knights won going away. That was a clear-cut indication of the mindset of this team. It could have mailed it in and called it a season, but instead, it fought really hard and played dramatically better. With the spread being 10.5 points, UCF can certainly play this game close enough to cover the spread.
Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kansas beat UCF by 51 points in early January. Kansas could win this game by 40 fewer points and still cover the spread. KU has obviously established itself as the vastly superior team and should be able to win with a level of comfort which should translate into covering the 10.5 points. Keep in mind that Kansas has actually shown signs of life late in the season. KU battled Houston hard — it didn't win, but it pushed the Big 12 champions for 40 full minutes. Then KU beat Arizona at home with Hunter Dickinson playing one of its best games of the season. If Kansas plays this game the way it played the final week of the regular season, it should be able to cover the spread.
Final UCF-Kansas Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Kansas, but maybe wait 10 minutes before pulling the trigger on a live play.
Final UCF-Kansas Prediction & Pick: Kansas -10.5
