College Basketball Betting Picks: A Huge Big 12 Battle in Austin

Heading into the 2022-2023 season the Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns were thought to be the two best teams in the Big 12. Heading into the last regular season conference games of the season, those thoughts are correct. As the Jayhawks head to Austin to take on the Longhorns, there will be a lot of tournament implications surrounding this huge contest.

Even though the Jayhawks wrapped up the Big 12 regular season title with a win over Texas Tech on Wednesday night, there is still a lot at stake in this game. With a win over Texas, the Jayhawks will be one step closer to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With a top seed, the Jayhawks would more than likely end up very close to home in Des Moines, Iowa in the first two rounds, and then end up in Kansas City, which is even more of a de facto home game for them.

As for the Texas Longhorns, even with all of the controversy surrounding former head coach Chris Beard behind them, Texas has gotten things back together and should be a very high seed in the NCAA Tournament. With a Longhorn win, Texas could boost themselves into a #2 seed. Even though this game doesn’t have much bearing on the Big 12 race, it still has a lot riding on it in the grand scheme of things.

College Basketball Betting for the Huge Big 12 Battle in Austin

Let’s now preview each team, and then we’ll give you our best college basketball betting predictions for this huge Saturday afternoon affair.

Kansas Jayhawks

At 25-5 overall, the Jayhawks are one of the top teams in the nation. Led by All-American candidate Jalen Wilson, and his 20 point per game average, Kansas is ready to make a long NCAA Tournament run. Bill Self has once again built a team that has a chance at repeating as national champions.

The Jayhawks have already clinched the Big 12 regular season title, along with the top seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament. With Wilson, along with junior standout Dajuan Harris, Jr., and sharpshooter Brady Dick, the Jayhawks have a team built to win another title.

Texas Longhorns

While the Longhorns are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, this is still one of the top teams in the country. They have one of the best offenses in the country, and they are very efficient at the offensive end of the floor. They play a very physical style of defense that teams tend to struggle against.

When Marcus Carr is on, the Longhorns are hard to stop. The sharp-shooting Carr can be a load at times, but at others his high-volume shot-taking can hurt Texas. Texas puts up 79 points per game, and Kansas isn’t known for their defensive prowess, so we should see a lot of points in this one.

Prediction

This should be a high-scoring, fast-paced game. While we see the Longhorns probably being a 1-2 point favorite, we’re not really sure on that. Kansas could also be a slight road favorite. Either way, we like Kansas to come out on top in a close one. We think both teams will be in the high 70’s scoring-wise. This should be a fun one in Austin!

Bet Big 12 To Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Tournament

2022-23 Big 12 Standings

School	Big 12	Overall	Pct.	Home	Away	Streak
Kansas Jayhawks	13-4	25-5	.765	8-1	5-3	W7
Kansas State Wildcats	11-6	23-7	.647	8-1	3-5	W4
Baylor Bears	11-6	22-8	.647	6-2	5-4	W2
Texas Longhorns	11-6	22-8	.647	7-1	4-5	L2
TCU Horned Frogs	9-8	20-10	.529	6-3	3-5	W2
Iowa State Cyclones	8-9	17-12	.471	6-3	2-6	L4
Oklahoma State Cowboys	7-10	16-14	.412	5-4	2-6	L5
West Virginia Mountaineers	6-11	17-13	.353	4-4	2-7	W1
Texas Tech Red Raiders	5-12	16-14	.294	3-5	2-7	L2
Oklahoma Sooners	4-13	14-16	.235	2-6	2-7	L1