Two top-10 teams take the floor in a Big 12 Conference showdown on Monday night. The #8 Kansas Jayhawks (18-5, 11-1 home) host the #10 Texas Longhorns (19-4, 4-2 away) in a key conference matchup in the conference race. Kansas owns a 36-12 all-time record against the Longhorns and 17-2 record at home.
The tip-off is a part of ESPN’s Big Monday and begins at 9 p.m. EST inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas is a 3.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 146.5 points.
What to Know – #10 Texas Longhorns
Texas enters the week facing their fourth-straight opponent ranked inside the top 15. The Longhorns have won two of three, their lone defeat coming at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers. Texas sits atop the Big 12 standings with a one-game lead over Iowa State.
Offensively, the Longhorns lead the conference in scoring, averaging 79.4 points per game. As a team, Texas is hitting a conference-best 48% from the field and 33.1% of its shots from the 3-point line. On defense, the Longhorns surrender 67.6 ppg, 42.1% shooting from the floor, and 32.7% from deep.
Leading the league’s highest-scoring offense is senior guard Marcus Carr averaging 16.4 ppg. Carr is a 45% shooter from the field and a 38.7% shooting from three. Fellow senior guard Sir’Jabari Rice has led the Longhorns in scoring the last three games with outputs of 21, 21, and 14 points.
The Longhorns are 10-13 against the spread and 3-3 ATS on the road. Texas is 4-1 ATS over its last five games.
What to Know – #8 Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas has uncharacteristically lost four of its last six matchups, including a 15-point defeat at the hands of Iowa State over the weekend. The Jayhawks are facing their seventh-ranked foe in their last eight games. Kansas is in a four-way tie for third place in the conference.
The Jayhawks score 75.6 ppg, connecting on 46.1% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Kansas limits opposing teams to 68.0 ppg, 40.9% shooting from the floor, and 31.6% from three.
Junior forward Jalen Wilson leads the conference in scoring, pouring in 21.5 ppg behind 42.7% shooting from the floor and 35.5% from deep. Freshman guard Gradey Dick has made an immediate impact in his first season in Lawrence, shooting 42.0% from three and averaging 14.2 ppg.
The Jayhawks are 9-14 ATS this year, with a 4-8 record ATS on their home floor. Kansas owns an 0-4 record ATS over its last four home contests against teams with a winning record.
The Pick is In
Texas is a hot team, while the Jayhawks have been in a slump over the last two weeks. If this game was in Austin the outcome would be different, but Kansas has shown it is good at defending its home floor. The Jayhawks buckle down and feed off the home crowd for a big home victory.
The Pick: #8 Kansas Jayhawks -3.5
