The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks host the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 1 p.m. ET in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Jayhawks are listed as 10.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 134.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction, and pick for this Big 12 college basketball matchup.
Kansas vs. Cincinnati prediction, preview
Cincinnati is playing some of its best basketball of the season of late — albeit against a relatively light schedule. The Bearcats are not a great team, but they have rattled off three straight wins coming into this big matchup against Kansas. Cincinnati has been flexing its muscles on the defensive end. Despite being in the middle of the pack in the conference overall, the Bearcats rank 11th in the nation in defensive rating and fourth in the Big 12 in points allowed. Senior forward Baba Miller is a force in the middle of the floor and is averaging a double-double this season. In addition to the 6-foot-11 Miller, the Bearcats also have 7-foot-2 center Moustapha Thiam. That size down low allows them to hang with some of the best teams in the country.
Kansas happens to be one of those best teams in the country, and the Darryn Peterson aspect makes them a fascinating team. The Jayhawks are one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranking ninth in defensive rating. However, their elite offensive threat is Peterson, one of the most talented freshmen in the country — but one with major effort and commitment issues. He has only played in 15 games this season due to a variety of minor injuries that many speculate are not that serious. Most recently, he scored 23 points in 18 minutes against Oklahoma State before checking himself out early with cramps. If Peterson can lock in, this will be a dangerous team in the tournament. However, it seems as if Peterson isn’t that focused on his college career.
Kansas vs. Cincinnati pick
My best bet for this game is for Kansas and Cincinnati to go under the total of 134.5 points. Measuring by defensive rating, these are two of the 11 best defensive teams in the nation. They also both rank in the top five in the Big 12 in opponent scoring. Between the two teams, Darryn Peterson is the only elite scorer. And with the way Peterson’s season has gone, it’s hard to depend on him to play the entire game and give maximum effort. The two big men for Cincinnati should defend the paint well and force Kansas to take outside shots. Both of these teams rank outside the top 150 in the nation in adjusted tempo. This should be a methodical game, where Kansas slowly squeezes Cincinnati and gets the win in a lower-scoring affair.
