Indiana vs. Kansas Odds, Picks, and Predictions (12/17/22)
This December non-conference game gives us a matchup of two historic college basketball powerhouses. Teams that met in the 1940 and 1953 NCAA National Championship. It is the Hoosiers of Indiana facing off against the Jayhawks of Kansas. These two iconic programs have nine titles between the two of them. Indiana holds five and won their two championship matchups against the Jayhawks. Unfortunately, their last championship came in 1987 and they still hunt to return to glory. This season sees them ranked 14th at the moment, but this game follows a tough loss to top-10 ranked Arizona on a neutral site.
Kansas holds four championships and won the 2022 national championships as they go for a repeat season. Kansas currently ranks eighth in the country. Both of these teams are set to start conference play fully soon so finishing off the non conference season with a big win is huge for both teams. This game is being played at Allen Fieldhouse which will certainly be a hostile environment for the Hoosiers to walk into. Let’s get into this game’s picks and predictions.
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Indiana vs. Kansas Prediction
Prediction: Kansas ML
I think this game will be tight but I think the home environment at Kansas will give the Jayhawks the advantage. The biggest thing Indiana struggles at is playing on the road and the Phog is certainly not the easiest place to play for opposing teams. Indiana needs to be better at shooting from deep in this game if they want to stay in it, as Kansas has sharp shooters like Gradey Dick that could easily put this game away. Trayce Jackson-Davis will also need to be playing like the Player of the Year Candidate he is. Teams like Rutgers have shown their ability to take him out of the game by double-teaming him. Indiana likes to play through him a lot, so if Kansas takes him out of the equation it could be a long day for IU offensively. Jalen Wilson could also be a problem defensively for IU. He is averaging 21 point for the Jayhawks and has been that next man up for Kansas after Ochai Agbaji left for the draft.
Depending on what the line is placed at, I think this game’s score count goes above 150. I think both of these teams will be able to get points going and it just depends if Indiana can keep up with the pace of Kansas.
Indiana vs. Kansas Betting Odds
There are not any betting lines out just yet with the game being tomorrow but it is projected that Kansas will be the favorite in the matchup. In large part due to IU coming off a double digit loss to Arizona last week as well as Kansas playing great basketball as of late. Playing at home will certainly help Kansas as well. Kansas comes into this game ranked higher in AP as well as in Kenpom’s analytical rankings. Kansas currently ranks eighth in Kenpom while IU is 16th. ESPN Analytics currently gives Kansas a 59.5% chance to win this game so is expected to be close. If Kansas does come out as moneyline favorites, I expect the spread line to be close within single digits. I would assume around six-seven points or less, especially with these teams both being top-20 as well as the history between these two.
There are currently no over/under total lines out either but I would expect it to be high with these teams both having high-scoring offenses. Indiana currently averages 81.4 PPG while Kansas averages 79.4. In terms of points allowed, IU averages 63.8 and Kansas 65.6. I’d expect the line to be placed around 150.
Key Matchup
Gradey Dick vs. Indiana
Jalen Wilson will certainly be a problem for Indiana, but Gradey Dick could be the outlier in this game as Kansas’ best 3-point shooter. He is currently averaging 15.4 PPG and is shooting 46% from behind the arc. Indiana struggled the most in the Arizona game by not being able to keep up with the deep-shooting of the Wildcats. Shooters Miller Kopp and Xavier Johnson will need to be shooting at a high-level. Also, getting freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino back will be crucial to keep up with Dick and others for the Jayhawks.
