Eastern Washington vs. Kansas Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Kansas Jayhawks were only able to get one game in, before COVID issues forced them out of the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks have said they will be without three of their regular players when they face the Eastern Washington Eagles in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Can the Eagles take advantage of a shorthanded Kansas team and pull off the upset or will the Jayhawks show the basketball world why they’re a No. 3 seed?
Eastern Washington Eagles vs. Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Despite missing three players, Kansas is a 10.5-point favourite over Eastern Washington. Early bets are fairly split, with a slim majority favouring the Jayhawks, but one thing bettors are agreeing on is the total, as 100 per cent of early bettors are taking the Over at +146.5. You might want to be careful though, as both these teams have struggled to hit the Over, lately. The Eagles have missed the Over in five straight games, while Kansas has only hit it in one of their last seven contests. You’ve also got to think that Kansas’ offence likely won’t be running as smoothly as normal. Eastern Washington paid off well this year against the spread though, and they should be able to cover against a depleted Kansas team. The Eagles were 15-7 against the spread and have covered in eight of their last 10 games. The Jayhawks are coming into Saturday with eight wins in their last nine games, going 7-1-1 ATS in that time.
(14) Eastern Washington Eagles
Eastern Washington shouldn’t be taken lightly in this game. This is a team that has won 13 of their last 14 games, finished second in the Big Sky regular season and won the Big Sky Tournament to get here. They live off their offence, averaging 78.1 points per game and 15.1 assists. They shoot well, averaging 47 per cent from the field and they’re strong on defensive rebounds. Keep an eye on Tanner Groves and Kim Aiken Jr. Groves leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. Aiken Jr. averages 11.7 points per game and has team-highs in rebounds (8.5), steals (1.3) and blocks (1.1). This game will likely come down to how well Eastern Washington can handle Kansas’ own strong rebounding.
(3) Kansas Jayhawks
The offensive numbers for Kansas don’t jump out at you, but they do employ a balanced attack. All five of their starters average double-digit points and they led the Big 12 in defensive rebound percentage. Rebounding is how this team thrives. Ochai Agbaji leads the team with 14.2 points per game and has also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. David McCormack is averaging 13.4 points per game and leads the team in blocks (1.0). Keep an eye on McCormack’s status throughout the tournament. McCormack was held out of the Big 12 Tournament due to COVID protocols, but it’s expected he’ll be good to go on Saturday. Even with missing players, however, the Jayhawks are still the better and more talented team. A Kansas loss would be a big upset.
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