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The first team to win a game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament was No. 16 Texas Southern in the First Four. The Tigers’ reward in Midwest Region first-round action on Thursday night is a date with No. 1 Kansas, which is a huge favorite on the NCAAB odds.

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

When: Thursday, 9:57 PM ET
Where: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: truTV
Stream: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Kansas -21.5 (total 144.5)

Why Bet on Kansas?

Kansas (28-6) won the Big 12 regular-season title and then beat Texas Tech 74-65 on Saturday for the Big 12 Tournament title. The win marked the 12th Big 12 Tournament Championship for the Jayhawks and the first since 2018.

David McCormack led the Jayhawks with his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 18 points while pulling down 11 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. Ochai Agbaji had 16 points and seven rebounds while Christian Braun added 14. Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin added 12 points apiece. The game marked the fourth time this season that Kansas has had five players score in double figures. Agbaji and Braun were selected to the All-Tournament Team, with Agbaji named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Agbaji has been named 2022 Associated Press All-America First Team. In the Bill Self era at Kansas, Agbaji is the fifth player named to the Associated Press All-America First Team joining Devonte Graham (2018), Frank Mason III (2017), Thomas Robinson (2012) and Wayne Simien (2005).

Agbaji, the 2022 Big 12 Player of the Year, leads the Big 12 and is 25th nationally, in scoring at 19.7 points per game. The senior guard is second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (40.5%, 31st nationally) and in three-point field goals made per game (2.8, 42nd nationally). He also ranks 18th on the KU career scoring list with 1,570 points, fourth on the three-point field goals made (239) and fourth on three-point field goals attempted (645).

Kansas’ 32-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, beginning in 1990, is the longest active streak and the longest consecutive in NCAA tourney appearances history. Since seeding in the NCAA Tournament began in 1979, Kansas enters the event a No. 1 seed and the 15th time overall and fourth time in the last six tournaments.

Kansas is making its 50th NCAA Tournament appearance and has a 109-48 record in the event. The Jayhawks have advanced to 31 Sweet 16 contests, 15 Final Fours and three of their five national championships have been in NCAA Championship format (1952, 1988, 2008).

Why Bet on Texas Southern?

SWAC champion Texas Southern (19-12) rallied to beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 76-67 in the First Four on Tuesday to advance to the first round of the Big Dance for the second year in a row.

TSU was down 61-59 in the second half before three PJ Henry free throws swung the needle back to TSU for a 62-61 lead. Both teams went scoreless until Brison Gresham’s fifth block led to AJ Lawson’s layup for a 64-61 decision. TSU began to establish itself on both ends as it held the Islanders without a field goal for nearly six minutes. Offensively, the Tigers took advantage of the free throw line as they went 12-of-14 down the stretch to seal the win.

Bryson Etienne, John Walker III and Henry came off the bench to lead TSU with 21, 16 and 14 points, respectively. Gresham grabbed 13 rebounds with six blocks and six points.

Texas Southern has been in this place — a No. 16 seed winning a play-in game to take on a No. 1 seed — before, defeating Mount St. Mary’s last year before falling 82-66 to Michigan.

“Coach does a good job getting us prepared in practice, always challenging us, like nothing easy,” said Walker III. “So we’re always challenge oriented, like, what’s the next challenge? What can we do to be better? Whenever we get a challenge like a good team like Kansas it just gets us excited for the most part. It’s respect but it’s excitement also, because we know we need to come with your ‘A’ game. Gotta come with your ‘A’ game.”

Kansas 4-0 all-time against Texas Southern in a series that began in 1981. The most recent matchup was a KU 114-71 win on Nov. 21, 2017, in Allen Fieldhouse in an on-campus contest for the Hoophall Miami Invitational. Kansas went on to win the Hoophall Miami Invitational, the Big 12 regular season, Big 12 Tournament and advance to the 2018 Final Four.

“I feel like anybody can go to any big school,” Etienne said. “We’re men just like them. We put our shoes on like them, pants, shirt. It’s March Madness, so madness can happen.”

TSU was picked to finish first by the Southwestern Athletic Conference and finished second overall in the regular season but surprisingly had no player earn All-SWAC honors. Coach Johnny Jones is 51-32 all-time in the month of March and 21-6 at TSU.

Texas Southern TSU is 3-9 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests and 3-1 in First Four/Opening Round contests (2022/2021/2018/2003).