Kansas vs. Samford Odds, Picks, and Predictions

• Kevin McCullar Jr will miss the entire NCAA Tournament

• Samford is fifth in the country in scoring, seventh in 3P%, and eleventh in FG%

• Kansas has lost four of their last five games

March Madness bettors have this game circled on their calendar this week. On one side is an excellent Samford team that finished with 29 wins but without any against quadrant one teams. On the other side is Blueblood Kansas, who has several quality wins but went 5-5 over their last ten games and is now without their top player.

Below, we will provide everything you need to bet on tonight's Kansas vs. Samford game. We’ll provide the latest odds and insights, giving you the edge you need against bookmakers.

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Kansas vs. Samford Prediction and Odds

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas was fantastic for much of the season, ranking them as high as third in the AP Rankings. However, things have come apart over their last five games. They have lost four of their previous five games, including a first-round Big 12 Tournament loss to Cincinnati. While that raises some concerns heading into this tough matchup, we believe the Jayhawks are built to make a run.

With the possible exception of the SEC, the Big 12 has been the top conference in the country this season. Six teams are ranked inside the Top 25, meaning Kansas has been battle-tested. However, it was announced yesterday that leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. would miss the NCAA Tournament. It's a brutal blow to lose the guard, who averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals. That is a ton of production lost on both ends of the court, and it showed in the team’s 20-point loss to Cincinnati.

According to ESPN, the Jayhawks' net efficiency is +14.1 when Cullars is on the court but drops to -3.6 when he isn’t. That is a startling difference and a big reason we are betting against them today.

Samford Bulldogs

The Bulldogs don’t have the talent of the Jayhawks, but they execute as well as anyone in the country. Samford plays a fast-paced style that tires out opponents. Ten players consistently see minutes, which allows them to maintain their tiring tempo. The biggest question is how their style and overall talent will stack up against a major Blueblood program. They played two bigger teams, Purdue and VCU, but lost both by double-digits.

Samford dominated the Southern Conference by overwhelming opponents on offense. They are fifth in the country in scoring (86.0 PPG), seventh in three-point percentage (39.3%), and eleventh in field goal percentage (49.3%). That success has come on the shoulders of forward Achor Achor, who leads the team in scoring (15.8 PPG), rebounding (6.1 RPG), blocks (1.8 BPG), and field goal percentage (59.9%).

While we are concerned about how the Samford offense will fare against Kansas, we believe they will keep the game close and possibly even pull off the upset. 

#4 Kansas vs. #13 Samford Pick

• PICK: Samford +7.5 (-120) at BetMGM Sportsbook

This is way too many points to give Samford. The loss of McCullar will significantly impact the Jayhawks, making it harder to slow down an explosive Samford offense. We believe Samford can pull off the win, but 7.5 points are too many for us to pass up.

Kansas will try to push Samford into playing a half-court offense, but we don’t think they’ll have the depth to pull it off.

How to Watch #4 Kansas vs. #13 Samford

• When: Thursday, March 21 at 9:55 PM EST

• Where: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT

• TV: TBS

• Streaming: March Madness Live App

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