Earlier this week, No. 1 Kentucky was upset by Evansville, so it’s not impossible that little Monmouth goes to No. 5 Kansas on Friday night and upsets the Jayhawks. Pretty unlikely, though, with KU a huge favorite on the NCAA basketball odds at Mybookie.

How to Bet Monmouth vs Kansas College Basketball Odds & Game Info

• When: Friday, 8 PM ET
• Where: Allen Fieldhouse
• TV: no national TV
• Live Stream: ESPN+
• Radio: SiriusXM
• College Basketball Odds: Kansas -26.5

Why Bet on Monmouth?

The Hawks play in the MAAC and usually are a pretty good program. A season ago, Monmouth finished with a 14-21 record including a 10-8 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Monmouth was chosen to finish fourth this year in the MAAC by the league’s head coaches. MU was five points behind selected Quinnipiac and two points clear of the fifth selection, Manhattan. Ray Salnave and Deion Hammond were selected to the conference’s Preseason Second Team after finishing just four points apart from each other overall a season ago. Salnave led MU with 11.9 points per game with Hammond checking in at 11.8, while the latter led MU in made threes with 74.

The Hawks had four players on last year’s roster that will not return this season, with that group accounting for 23.0% of the Hawks scoring. Four new players join the MU roster this season, including three freshmen in Gob Gabriel, Jarvis Vaughan and Jake Glezen as well as transfer guard Donovann Toatley.

Recent Games

The Wildcats went on a 14-1 run to open the second half and never looked back. After Monmouth shot 54 percent in the first half, Kansas State cranked up the defensive intensity over the final 20 minutes, with the Hawks scoring just 25 points in the second half. The Wildcats finished the game shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, scoring 51 second-half points. Salnave led all scorers with 20 points, and Mustapha Traore had 10 rebounds for the Hawks.

Monmouth’s last win over a high-major program remains an 82-79 victory at Memphis on Dec. 13, 2016.

Why Bet on Kansas?

Monmouth doesn’t figure to be an overly challenging opponent for KU, but this will be an opportunity for the Jayhawks to further work out their kinks, especially offensively. Bill Self’s unit needs to find a way to create better spacing for players like speedy point guard Devon Dotson, veteran Marcus Garrett and emerging star Ochai Agbaji to attack off the bounce.

Kansas (1-1) lost to Duke in the season-opening Champions Classic but bounced back with a 74-62 win over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 8. Dotson drained a game-high 22 points as the Jayhawks won their 47th-straight home opener. Kansas opened the second half on a 12-2 run taking a 48-34 lead with 16:02 to play. The Jayhawks wouldn’t let its lead dwindle under 10 from this point. KU improved its record to 149-20 when scoring between 70-79 points in the Bill Self era.

When Self switched to a four-guard lineup against UNC Greensboro the offense seemed to open up. Suddenly, spacing was less of an issue, and Udoka Azubuike looked as dominant as ever.

Big Numbers

The Jayhawks extend a 47-game home opening streak that dates back to the start of the 1973-74 season, as Kansas was led by four players in double-figures in scoring, including Dotson, who was 6-of-14 from the field in the game. The 22 points from Dotson were the second most of his career and the most since scoring 25 a season ago at TCU, and his third career game with 20+ points.

Joining Dotson in double-figures was Agbaji (13), Garrett (10) and Azubuike (10). Azubuike notched his ninth-career double-double by adding a team-high 12 rebounds, in what was his first double-double since Nov. 12, 2018 vs. Vermont.

Isaiah Moss, the Iowa graduate transfer, didn’t play against Duke due to injury, but made his season debut against UNC Greensboro. He played 25 minutes and scored eight points against the Spartans, and went 2-for-6 from behind the three-point line.

Monmouth is ranked No. 126 in the NCAA in terms of average height according to Ken Pomeroy, while the Jayhawks rank in the Top 20.

Monmouth vs Kansas College Basketball Betting Trends

• Hawks are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference
• Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games played on a Friday
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Monmouth’s last 7 games
• Jayhawks are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games at home
• Jayhawks are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played in November
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas’ last 7 games played on a Friday

Expert Final Score Prediction for Monmouth vs Kansas

Monmouth 56 – Kansas 85