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Jeremy Perry
Providence vs. Kansas Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Kansas Jayhawks narrowly defeated a Big East team, the Creighton Bluejays, in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. They now face another Big East team, the Providence Friars, in the Sweet 16 round of March Madness. It’s a compelling game highlighted by the fact that the winner will be the higher-seeded team in the Elite Eight and will get to face a double-digit seed. The winner of this game will be favoured to make the Final Four from the Midwest Region.
Kansas is a 7.5-point favourite to win on the college basketball odds, with a total of 141.5.
Providence vs. Kansas NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Jayhawks failed to cover the spread against Creighton. They went off as an 11.5-point favourite and won by seven. However, they are still 5-1 ATS in their last six overall and 5-1 ATS in their last six as a favourite.
Providence has covered the spread in each of its first two NCAA Tournament games. The Friars were favoured by only two points over South Dakota State in the first round and won by nine, then were favoured by 3.5 points over Richmond in the second round and won by 28. They are now 19-7 ATS in their last 26 as an underdog.
Providence Friars (4)
If the Big East regular season champions looked like an overrated team or a vulnerable upset possibility before the NCAA Tournament began, the Friars had other ideas. They controlled most of the game against South Dakota State before allowing a late rally. They regrouped and won with a comfortable working margin. Then they stormed Richmond from the very start and built a lead of over 30 points before cruising to a 28-point win. Providence was blown out by Creighton (the team which just lost to Kansas) in the Big East Tournament semifinals, so it was easy to perceive weakness in the Friars, but they were superb on defence in their first two games and made a statement that they are going to be a very tough out in this tournament. Coach Ed Cooley remains the favourite for national coach of the year in college basketball. That means a lot.
Kansas Jayhawks (1)
Kansas destroyed Texas Southern by 27 points in the first round, but then had to sweat in the final minutes before surviving Creighton. People who follow this Kansas team will tell you that the 2022 Jayhawks aren’t as imposing as some of the other highly-seeded Kansas teams of the past. No one should view this team as a hulking Goliath or a supreme juggernaut. Nevertheless, it is still a very good team which shared the Big 12 championship with Baylor. One of the more encouraging developments for Kansas is the recent play of Remy Martin, who had a tough regular season in the backcourt but has noticeably improved in his last three games, dating back to the Big 12 Tournament championship game against Texas Tech on March 12. If Martin continues to play well, the Kansas offence will be hard to stop.
