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The 2022 NCAA Tournament is finally here. On Thursday and Friday, we have a combined 32 games set to kick off. No. 1 Kansas will take on No. 16 Texas Southern Thursday at 9:57 PM EST on TruTV. Below we take a look at the matchup and my pick for it.
No. 1 Kansas: 28-6 (14-4): Auto Bid
KenPom rating: 6 Overall, 6 Offense, 29 Defense
NET ranking: 6, (12-5 VS Quad 1)
Leading scorer: Ochai Agbaji 19.7 PPG
Key stat: Kansas has the most quad 1 wins in the country
The Jayhawks are led by All-American guard Ochai Agbaji. He’s been tremendous all season, and has been a candidate for national player of the year. Coming off a Big 12 Tournament championship, Kansas is red-hot and could make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
No. 16 Texas Southern: 19-12 (13-5): Auto Bid
KenPom rating: 188 Overall, 270 Offense, 108 Defense
NET ranking: 197 (1-2 VS Quad 1)
Leading scorer: John Walker III 9.9 PPG
Key stat: Texas Southern averages five blocks per game
Texas Southern started their NCAA Tournament Tuesday night with a victory over Texas A&M-CC 76-67. The Tigers lean on their defense, averaging five blocks per game which ranks 20th in the country. But offensively they don't have anybody averaging even double-digits per game.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Point spread: Kansas -22
Point total: 145
Moneyline: Kansas -6500, Texas Southern +2200
The Pick
Against The Spread Pick: Kansas -22
Point total pick: Under 145
Pick to Win: Kansas -6500
The most confident pick I have in the tournament is Kansas -22. The talent gap here is massive, and putting KU’s defense against a team that can’t score is a recipe for a pasting. Kansas blows the Tigers out and I’m confident they win by 22+.
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