NCAAB odds, pick: Kansas vs. Houston betting preview for Saturday, March 9

Kansas vs. Houston Odds

Saturday, March 9, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAB odds here

Kansas Jayhawks

On Tuesday night, Kansas defeated rival Kansas State, 90-68, for its 41st consecutive victory on Senior Night. Two of the honorees were Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickinson.

McCullar has missed three games in the last month, but he's returned for the last two, and his presence is vital if Kansas is going to knock off Houston. McCullar leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.1 points per game. He leads the team with 39 made 3s, and he's second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.

Right behind McCullar in Big 12 scoring is his teammate, Dickinson, at 18.2 points per game. The big man also leads the conference with 11.1 rebounds per game and with 16 double-doubles.

In the first meeting against Houston, McCullar and Dickinson combined for 37 points.

Surprisingly, point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. only had two assists in that game. The redshirt senior averages 6.6 assists, which ranks ninth in the country. He's also is 23rd in assists-to-turnover ratio.

With Harris at the helm, Kansas leads the nation in assists and ranks 38rd in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency.

Led by Dickinson and McCullar, Kansas gets about 59% of its points on 2-point attempts — the sixth-highest rate in the country — and makes just under six 3s per game.

Defensively, those trends are reversed, as Kansas ranks 18th in 2-point percentage defense while allowing about 16 per game. Kansas is allowing 8.2 3s per game, 286th-most in the nation. Houston made nine triples in the first meeting, but couldn't get anything at the rim.

Kansas will look to keep Houston off the offensive glass in this matchup. However, even with the Cougars pulling down 13 offensive rebounds, Kansas won the rebounding battle by 16 in Lawrence.

Houston Cougars

Houston will have its Senior Day festivities on Saturday, and among the honorees will be Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer and J'Wan Roberts.

Shead is one of the nation's best leaders and was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. For the season, he's averaging 13.2 points, 6.2 assists (third in the Big 12) and 2.3 steals per game (second in the Big 12).

Cryer is the team's leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, and he's shooting 39.1% from distance. He made six of Houston's nine 3s in the first meeting and scored 24 points.

The other three triples came from guard Emanuel Sharp, who's averaging 12.4 points and is second on the team with 1.6 steals.

Roberts leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game, with nearly three coming on the offensive end. He had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the first meeting.

Houston ranks eighth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. However, it can be had on the defensive glass, as it ranks 207th in defensive rebounding percentage.

Of course, Houston forces several rebounding opportunities with its elite defense. It leads the nation in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and ranks fourth in effective field goal percentage defense. It ranks near the top nationally in steals percentage, blocks percentage and turnover percentage.

In the first meeting, Houston was able to convert 18 Kansas turnovers into 20 points.

Kansas vs. Houston

Betting Pick & Prediction

Kansas and Houston are both in the top 10 in country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency.

However, the first meeting was decided by eight points and finished with 143 total points. That was with Houston shooting 36% from the field and 31% from deep.

This matchup is a tick higher at 136, but it still offers value on the total.

Additionally, the over has hit in seven of Houston’s last 10 games. That includes a home game against Iowa State, which like Kansas and Houston, also has a stingy defense.

Under 140, I like the over in this matchup, and I would be comfortable playing it until that number.

Pick: Over 136 (Play to 140)