Ranked second in the nation, Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks take a trip up north to Bloomington to take on Mike Woodson’s Indiana Hoosiers in this blue-blood matchup. Below we will continue our college basketball odds series with a Kansas-Indiana prediction and pick.

Two historic programs, but two completely different paths so far. Starting with Kansas — Bill Self has not skipped a beat, even after Texas transfer Arterio Morris was dismissed from the team preseason. Down an expected starter, the Jayhawks have rattled off marquee win after marquee win. Most recently, Kansas took down the defending national champions, UConn, just two weeks ago. 

On the contrary, Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers have not found the early season success that Kansas has enjoyed. Do not get me wrong, this roster has plenty of talent. The transfer portal and a decrease in roster continuity have led to some early-season troubles. Some teams click right away, some have to battle through growing pains. 

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Kansas-Indiana Odds

Kansas: -6.5 (-110)

Indiana: +6.5 (-110)

Over: 147.5 (-110)

Under: 147.5 (-110)

How to Watch Kansas vs. Indiana 

Time: 12:30 pm ET/ 9:30 am PT

TV: CBS

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread

Let us start with the offense. Kansas has the best assist rate in the country and by some margin. The Jayhawks are assisting on 73% of made field goals. For context, second in the country in assist rate is Minnesota at 68.2%. With Indiana’s defense ranking outside of the nation's top 250 in both steal rate (8.6%) and defensive turnover rate (16.5%), Kansas should have no trouble running clean offensive sets in their half court. 

Both of these squads rank top ten in the nation in average height. This height translates directly to quality block rates, with both teams ranking top fifty in the nation in defensive block rate. 

Naturally, you would expect the decent block rates would directly translate to a top-tier paint defense. Despite the Jayhawks boasting the 10th two-point percentage defense (42%) in the nation, the Hoosiers are allowing opponents to shoot 47% from inside the arc which ranks at 91st. To summarize, both teams have height deterrents around the rim — but expect Kansas to see high-quality looks more often. 

In a game where both teams rank bottom fifty in the nation in three-pointer attempt rate, quality looks from inside the arc might be hard to come by. College basketball is a game of matchups, and Kansas having an interior defense roughly 5% more efficient than Indiana’s will be critical. 

Why Indiana Will Cover The Spread

Did someone say first true road game at Assembly Hall? Through ten games, Kansas has played every game in the comfort of Allen Fieldhouse or on a neutral floor. Those two of Kansas’ three neutral floor games came in Hawaii, with the defeat to Marquette being the Jayhawks' only loss. As good as Kansas is, you can not deny the fact that this team has yet to play in a hostile environment so far. 

We recently watched top-ranked Purdue and Zach Edey play their first true road game at Northwestern and lose in overtime. The same Northwestern team that just lost at home to Chicago State. Do not be surprised if the Bloomington crowd has an impact on this game. 

Surprisingly, Indiana does not and will not shoot from outside. A rarity in today's game. The Hoosiers rank dead last in points from threes and three-point attempts per game. So where do they score? This team lives at the free-throw line. Indiana shoots 48 free throws a game, which ranks 7th most in the nation.

Earlier I mentioned how critical interior defense will be in this matchup. For a Kansas team that only goes roughly eight deep, any sort of foul trouble could deem detrimental. Unsurprisingly, Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Kevin McCullar all rate top five for Kansas in overall efficiency, per BartTorvik. If there is any foul trouble, Bill Self can turn to seldom-played Santa Clara transfer, Parker Braun. Nonetheless, the replacements for any front-court member in foul trouble will be a massive drop-off. I predict a game controlled by physicality — a rare area Indiana flourishes in.

Final Kansas-Indiana Prediction & Pick

In a game where both teams will be reluctant to shoot the three-ball, I tend to lean toward the home team. Now add on the fact that this is Kansas’ first true road game and I start to like this Indiana side even more. Secondly, I expected these odds to release as a -7 or steeper line in favor of the Jayhawks. The fact that it opened at a tight 6.5 makes me lean Indiana. I predict the public will see the short -6.5 and hop on Kansas. Join me in avoiding the trap and take the home team in a bounce-back spot where they should receive a friendly whistle all day long. Give me the Hoosiers to cover the multiple-possession spread.

Final Kansas-Indiana Prediction & Pick: Indiana +6.5 (-110)