NCAA Basketball Kansas Jayhawks vs Kentucky Wildcats: Odds, Tips and Predictions 11/14/23

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Prediction: Bet Kansas cover

• Over/Under: Kansas vs Kentucky(150.5)
• Spread: Kansas -5.5
• Pick: Bet Kansas to cover

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Kansas and Kentucky will lead off the Champions Classic as two blue bloods looking to make a statement early in the season. Kansas hopes to remain at the top of the Big 12, which has increased competition from teams like Houston joining. Meanwhile, Kentucky hopes its revamped roster can compete for an SEC title once more and go deep into tournament play.

Justin Edwards, Rob Dillingham and DJ Wagner – three highly touted five-star recruits who all appear likely to make an immediate, impactful statement – appear set for starting roles this season for Kentucky. Alongside these freshmen are veteran transfer Tre Mitchell, who will enter his fifth and final year of eligibility this season; graduate student Antonio Reeves also brings veteran experience that may prove key due to being such a young team.

Kentucky must do everything it can to contain Hunter Dickinson, as he can score from almost anywhere on the floor. Dickinson averaged 18 points per game during his last two years at Michigan while shooting over 50% from the field overall and shooting 65% overall; these numbers have only increased with Kansas as Dickinson has averaged 19.5 ppg while shooting 66% from the field in his two debut games with them so far! If Kentucky fails to keep Dickinson under control, it will be highly challenging for them to come away victorious from this matchup.

Kentucky will need to focus on more than just Dickinson in its effort against Kansas; their three-point shooting must improve significantly from previous games (32.7% total). A victory may prove hard to come by without a noticeable increase from beyond the arc – should Kentucky shoot around 40% from beyond the arc it could prove crucial in what will likely be an intense contest between two competitive opponents.

Kansas University experienced significant offseason roster adjustments that saw several key recruits and transfers join them; the Jayhawks saw two top players declaring for the NBA draft and several non-starters leaving to transfer to other programs.

However, Kansas was able to replace their lost production through the transfer portal, specifically by signing former Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson, who was widely seen as the top player available this offseason regarding transfer portal performance. Furthermore, they brought in several quality recruits, such as Elmarko Jackson, who has started both games for Kansas this season.

Three returning players joined Dickinson and Jackson; two juniors in KJ Adams Jr and DaJuan Harris Jr, as well as senior Kevin McCullar Jr. This group’s combined production was enough to push Kansas past all rivals and earn them preseason no.1 status in the AP poll.

The Jayhawks are slightly better than the Wildcats, and the difference will be the Jayhawks’ ability to shut the Basketball. Kansas 83  Kentucky 75.

Tip:

Kansas to Cover

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