#1 Kansas vs #17 Kentucky College Basketball Betting Odds & Game Preview

The first major event of the new college basketball season arrives on Tuesday night with the annual four-team Champions Classic featuring blue-bloods Duke, Michigan State, Kansas and Kentucky. 2023 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #1 Kansas vs #17 Kentucky | MyBookie Sportsbook College Basketball Regular Season: November 6, 2023 – March 17, 2024 | Week 2 NCAAB

The No. 1 Jayhawks and No. 17 Wildcats face off in the late matchup Tuesday from Chicago with Kansas a solid favorite on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Kansas vs. Kentucky NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 9:30 PM ET
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Kansas -4.5 (total 146.5)

Series History

Kansas and Kentucky are the top-two winningest programs in college basketball history. Kentucky leads the all-time series 24-11 and this will be the 11th time in the last 13 seasons these two blue-bloods will meet (since 2011-12). Kansas has won five of the last seven meetings overall and the series is tied at 2-2 in the Champions Classic.

Why Bet on Kansas Jayhawks?

This might be Bill Self’s best team yet at Kansas, which is saying something, as the top-ranked Jayhawks have slaughtered North Carolina Central and Manhattan in the first two games – not exactly the best competition, grant you. In Friday’s 99-61 win over Manhattan, Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson had 18 points and eight rebounds, Kevin McCullar Jr. and Johnny Furphy added 15 points apiece, and KJ Adams Jr. finished with 14 points. Elmarko Jackson added 10 assists and nine points.

Kansas held Manhattan to 19 points in the first half. The last time Kansas held opponents to less than 20 points in the first half in back-to-back games was Dec. 22, 2011 at USC (13 pts) and Dec. 29, 2011 vs. Howard (13 pts). Last Wednesday, KU held NC Central to 18 first half points. Kansas also has dished out at least 25 assists in both games for the first time in back-to-back games was Nov. 27, 2009 vs. Tennessee Tech (29 assists) and Dec. 2, 2009 vs. Alcorn State (28 assists).

KU has made at least 10 three-pointers in both games. The last time Kansas started the season with back-to-back games with 10+ threes was 2018. Kansas has shot 50.0 percent or better in the first two games to start the season for the first time since the 2020 season. It has scored exactly 99 points in each of the first two games, the first time Kansas has finished with at least 90 points in the first two games of the season for the first time since 2020.

Dickinson leads Kansas in scoring at 19.5 ppg and rebounding at 8.0 rpg. Dickinson has made all four of his three-point field goals attempts through two games. McCullar Jr. is next in scoring at 18.5 points per contest. McCullar is tied for the team lead with five three pointers made, has nine assists and pulls down 6.5 rebounds per game. Adams Jr. leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage as he is 13-for-16 (81.3%) from the field in two games. Adams averages 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Dickinson, McCullar Jr. and redshirt-senior Dajuan Harris Jr. were named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-Big 12 Team as voted on by the league coaches, the conference announced Oct. 12. Dickinson is the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first player in conference history to earn both honors in the same season.

Kansas leads the nation in field goal percentage at 62.6% and is second in assists per game at 29.5. KU is No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the fourth time in poll history, with all coming four in the Self era – 2004-05, 2009-10, 2018-19 and 2023-24. KU has been ranked in the AP top 10 in each of the last 39 polls dating back to the 2021-22 preseason poll. The 39 consecutive is the longest active streak in men’s college basketball.

Kansas is 7-5 in the Champions Classic and the Jayhawks have won six of their last seven appearances in the event after last year’s 69-64 win against Duke in Indianapolis. Kentucky will be the first Associated Press ranked opponent for Kansas in 2023-24. Last season, KU was 7-7 against AP ranked foes in 2022-23, including 4-2 versus top 10 teams.

Bet #1 Kansas to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB

Why Bet on Kentucky Wildcats?

Kentucky coach John Calipari was an assistant coach at Kansas from 1982-85 under coaches Ted Owens and Brown. UK is also 2-0 following an 81-61 home win over Texas A&M-Commers on Friday, although Calipari’s Wildcats fell behind by double digits early to A&M Commerce. The Lions came out hot, making seven of their first 10 shots, including five from beyond the arc. It all added up to a 19-6 lead for Texas A&M Commerce less than seven minutes into the game.

“They showed us some things that we’re going to have to deal with,” Calipari said. “And some of it is, if you can’t stay in front of somebody, I’ve got to play somebody else or you have got to guard somebody else. You can’t let a guy get by you three times in a row. It doesn’t work that way.”

Antonio Reeves led all scorers with 21 points, leading five Cats in double figures. Tre Mitchell had 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Justin Edwards had 16 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Rob Dillingham had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists while fellow freshman D.J. Wagner had 11 points. Kentucky won fast-break points, 23-1 and led as many as 22 points. The Wildcats are 331-14 (95.9%) in the Calipari era when leading by as many as 10 points at any time during the contest.

Calipari played just seven players in the last game. He didn’t have much choice. A starter in last Monday’s opener, Adou Thiero missed Friday’s game. Thiero is in concussion protocol after leaving the New Mexico State game with a headache but is expected to play after having five points and seven rebounds in the opener. The Cats are still without their trio of 7-footers — Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic.

So the Cats are thin and a little on the small side right now. Kentucky outrebounded Texas A&M-Commerce by just three, 36-33. How much is that a concern vs. Kansas?

“We’ve got a lot of concerns coming up Tuesday night, not just that,” Calipari said. “If you can’t come up with balls, you can’t play.”

Kentucky averages 83.5 points per game with a plus-30.0 scoring margin. The Wildcats shoot 48.5 percent from the field and pull down 39.5 rebounds per game with a plus-6.5 rebound margin. Kentucky averages 8.5 three-point field goals made with a 32.7 three-point shooting percentage. UK also averages 14.5 assists, 10.5 steals and 3.0 blocked shots.

UK has five players averaging double figures led by Reeves at 16.0 ppg. Reeves has made a team high seven threes in two contests. Dillingham (14.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) is tied for the team lead in assists with seven. Freshman guard Justin Edwards (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), graduate forward Mitchell (13.5 ppg, team-high 8.5 rpg, four steals) and D.J. Wagner (12.0 ppg, seven assists, four steals) round out the Kentucky double-figure scorers.

Bet #17 Kentucky to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB

College Basketball Expert Prediction

Kansas 80, Kentucky 76

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