BYU vs #7 Kansas NCAA Basketball Lines and Expert Analysis with Jayhawks star Kevin McCullar injured

For the first time as a Big 12 member, BYU will visit historic Allen Fieldhouse as the Cougars face No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday. The Jayhawks still have a shot to perhaps share the conference title but can’t afford to be upset as solid favorites on the NCAAB odds.

2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis BYU vs #7 Kansas | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 17 NCAAB

How to Bet BYU at Kansas NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 8 PM ET
Where: Allen Fieldhouse
TV: None national
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Kansas -7 (total 153)

BYU vs #7 Kansas Last Meeting

Tuesday’s showdown at venerable Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence is the basketball game BYU fans have pointed to since the school was invited to join the Big 12 in September of 2021. It’s BYU’s first trip there since 1971. Since then, BYU and Kansas have met twice. Both times were in neutral floor settings. One meeting was in the NCAA Tournament. The other was four seasons ago at the 2019 Maui Invitational with Kansas winning 71-56. This is the only scheduled meeting this season between the schools, but they could face off in the Big 12 Tournament. Kansas leads the all-time series against BYU 4-1 with the Cougars’ lone victory coming way back in 1960 in Provo.

Why Bet on BYU Cougars?

BYU (19-8, 7-7) comes off an 84-74 loss Saturday at unranked Kansas State, which entered having lost seven of eight. BYU had been ranked 25th but fell out of the poll with the loss.

The Wildcats started the second half with a run to retake a double-digit lead. They built a 61-47 advantage with 12:47 left in the game and extended their lead to as many as 16 points before BYU tried to rally late. BYU shot just 40.8% (29 for 71) from the field, including 20% (6 for 30) from 3-point range. The Cougars kept the game close by crashing the boards, outrebounding Kansas State 19-6 on the offensive end.

“It’s a major point of emphasis for us all year long,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “It helps us when we don’t shoot the ball well. We offensive rebound really well. But that’s the double-edged sword for us.”

Offensively, BYU made a season-low six three-pointers and the 19.4% shooting from deep was also the worst of the year for a team that went into the game ranked No. 3 in the country in made 3-pointers, 11.6 per game. The Cougars are 19-2 this year when they shoot 32% or better from the 3-point line. They are 0-6 when they don’t.

Jaxson Robinson’s 15 points led the Cougars’ five players to score in double figures. Noah Waterman and Spencer Johnson added 12 a-piece with Waterman also recording seven rebounds, a block and a steal. The Wildcats avenged a 72-66 loss to BYU two weeks ago in Provo.

“We are good, and we have to get better,” Pope said. “Our guys do that. Our guys are passionate about trying to grow, and so the expectation is that we will work through this over the next minutes and hours and days. Then we come back (and play) Kansas.”

Robinson is the leading scorer for the Cougars at 13.9 points per game while shooting 42.8 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from three and 89.6 percent from the free throw line. His 178 3-point attempts this season are the 17th most in a single season in program history.

The Cougars are 2-6 away from the friendly confines of the Marriott Center this season with both of those wins coming against teams that have beaten No. 9 Kansas on their home court, something that K-State did earlier this month in overtime. Five Cougars are scoring in double figures in their six league road games as they are scoring 74.7 points per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor. BYU ranks second in the nation in assists per game behind Kansas with 19.15 dimes per game which is also the third-highest in program history.

A win Tuesday would give the Cougars 20 wins in a single season for the 39th time in program history since 1949-50. It would also mark the fourth time Pope has reached the 20-win plateau, making him one of three head coaches since 1949-50 to do it four or more times in their first five seasons in Provo.

Bet BYU to Win
Vegas College Basketball Odds

Why Bet on Kansas Jayhawks?

Star Kansas guard Kevin McCullar will not play against BYU on Tuesday night, Kansas head coach Bill Self announced on Saturday. McCullar, who leads the Jayhawks in scoring at 19 points per game, has been dealing with a lingering knee injury and has not played since Feb. 17 against Oklahoma.

KU (21-6, 9-5) routed Texas 86-67 on Saturday without McCullar. The Jayhawks opened the second half with a Hunter Dickinson jumper to grab a 47-25 cushion with 18:31 left. Texas responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 47-34 following a three-pointer at the 15:48 mark.

A Dylan Disu three-pointer pulled the Longhorns to within 62-45 with 9:59 remaining, but Kansas scored seven straight points to increase its advantage to 69-45 after a Dajuan Harris Jr. layup at the 8:41 mark. The Longhorns cut the margin to 15 points (79-64) following a Max Abmas three-pointer with 3:08 left, but that was as close as Texas could get the rest of the way. UT allowed opponent team season-tying highs in points (86) and field goals made (32-52).

The Jayhawks outscored Texas 52-34 in the paint, which led to Kansas shooting 32-of-52 (62%) from the field. Texas shot 26-of-62 (42%) from the field.

“We played great in the first half, we were terrific, bench was good and starters were great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “When the ball moves like that and we guard like that, you’ll be in a favorable position, especially when you’re at home.”

Kansas has won 71-straight games in Allen Fieldhouse when leading at halftime, dating back to the beginning of the 2018-19 season. All five of Kansas’ starters scored in double-figures on Saturday, marking the third time this season Kansas had all five starters in double-figures. The last time was against Oklahoma State on Jan. 30, 2024, while the Jayhawks improved to 3-0 when all five starters score at least 10 points.

Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting, marking the 35th time of his career scoring 10 or more points. Kansas is 33-2 when Harris scores 10 or more points, including 9-1 this season. Dickinson scored 20 points on 9-of-17 from the field, marking his 25th game in double-figures this season and 108th of his career. This marks the 13th time this season Dickinson has had over 20 points in a game and is the 47 time in his career.

Dickinson leads the Big 12 and is seventh nationally in rebounds per game at 10.9. His 14 double-doubles lead the Big 12 and are 11th nationally. With an 18.3 ppg, which is second in the Big 12 behind McCullar, Dickinson is the only player in the Big 12 averaging a double-double. He also leads KU with 32 blocked shots and has 28 steals.

Kansas enters Tuesday’s matchup averaging 77.0 points per game with a plus-9.4 scoring margin. The Jayhawks pull down 36.3 rebounds per outing with a plus-3.3 rebound margin. Kansas leads the nation in assists per game at 19.7. KU leads the Big 12 and is third nationally in field goal percentage at 50.2%. KU also averages 7.6 steals and 3.7 blocked shots per contest.

Bet Kansas to Win
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BYU vs #7 Kansas Expert Prediction

Kansas 78, BYU 72

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