The Cincinnati Bearcats take on the Kansas Jayhawks. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Cincinnati Kansas prediction and pick. Find how to watch Cincinnati Kansas.

The Kansas Jayhawks are going through a very rough period in their season. Kansas has high-end wins over Kentucky, Oklahoma, TCU, and others, but the Jayhawks have just lost to West Virginia. That loss to the Mountaineers did not come with WVU having a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach (Bob Huggins) on its bench. It came to a WVU team led by obscure coach Josh Eilert. Kansas has also lost to UCF, an unremarkable college basketball program led by Johnny Dawkins, a distinctly average coach. West Virginia and UCF are likely to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 Conference standings, and yet Kansas lost to both of them — not just one, but both. It's a real warning sign about the limitations and weaknesses of this Kansas roster. The Jayhawks know they need to find a way to bounce back here against Cincinnati, or else their chances of a No. 1 seed will take a huge hit. It's crunch time for Kansas.

Here are the Cincinnati-Kansas College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Cincinnati-Kansas Odds

Cincinnati Bearcats: +8.5 (-102)

Kansas Jayhawks: -8.5 (-120)

Over: 145.5 (-115)

Under: 145.5 (-105)

How To Watch Cincinnati vs Kansas

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Cincinnati Could Cover the Spread

The Bearcats might not usually win in Big 12 play, but they do play close games. Their games with TCU, Baylor, Texas and Oklahoma have all gone down to the wire. Those four conference games were all decided by four points or fewer. Cincinnati plays close games, win or lose, and that's certainly something to keep in mind as you consider your point-spread play here. You will also note that those four games were played in different score ranges. One was in the high 70s, one in the low 70s, one in the upper 60s, one in the low 60s. That might seem like a random collection of events, but it is certainly notable that Cincinnati is playing close games with different levels of tempo, different numbers of possessions, and different kinds of opponents. It's not as though Cincy is playing the same type of game all the time and is coming close to winning it. UC is playing different styles but still arriving at the final minutes of regulation in a close contest. The Bearcats really do seem to be a team which is not talented enough to pull away from an opponent, but which is also not weak enough to get blown out. Cincinnati plays solid defense, fights for rebounds and loose balls, and is generally hard to play against. It's not easy to outwork this team. Kansas, given its manifest struggles in recent games, will not have a cakewalk here, even at home.

Why Kansas Could Cover the Spread

The Jayhawks are obviously talented, but they are also fragile. Coming off a loss, they have a lot to prove. It is highly unlikely that Kansas will play two bad games in a row. The Jayhawks' NCAA Tournament hopes might not seem that great, but that's a March question more than anything else. In terms of this game, KU will be very motivated and energized at home. This is a good bounce-back spot for the Jayhawks, who rarely lose back-to-back games.

Final Cincinnati-Kansas Prediction & Pick

The consistency with which Cincinnati plays close games is hard to bet against here. Take the Bearcats.

Final Cincinnati-Kansas Prediction & Pick: Cincinnati +8.5