Kansas vs St. John’s Betting Odds, Preview & Pick

The Kansas Jayhawks (5-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) went 2-6 SU and 3-4-1 ATS over their last eight road games in 2020-21. The Jayhawks will try to get off on the right foot on the road this season when they visit the St. John’s Red Storm (5-1, 3-3) on Friday night.

Kansas Jayhawks vs St. John’s Red Storm

Date/Time: December 3, 7 p.m. ET
Arena: UBS Arena
TV Coverage: FS1
Sportsbook Odds: Kansas -7 | O/U 156 (Line History)
Kansas vs St. John’s Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Jayhawks opened as 7-point road favorites and have been bet down slightly to Kansas -6.5. The total has also seen slight movement up to 157 points after Sportsbook at 156 points. The OVER is 4-2 in the Red Storm’s six games this season.

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Kansas News & Notes

Ochai Agbaji is off to a great start to the 2021-22 season, averaging 22.5 points per game. Kansas’s 96-83 win over the Iona Gaels marked the first game this season in which Agbaji didn’t finish as the Jayhawks’ leading scorer, though he wasn’t far off with 17 points compared to Christian Braun’s 18. The Jayhawks just barely failed to cover the spread as 13-point favorites, falling to 0-3 ATS over their last three games in the process.

The emergence of Agbaji and Braun (13.8 points per game) as top scoring threats early in the season bodes well for Kansas’s long-term scoring depth. Senior forward David McCormack is off to a slow start with only 8.2 points per game after averaging 13.4 last season, and star transfer Remy Martin has been solid with 12 PPG but averaged 19.1 in each of his last two seasons at Arizona State.

St. John’s News & Notes

St. John’s picked up a third straight win but failed to cover the spread for the third straight time in its 77-68 victory over the NJIT Highlanders. The final score looks a lot more decisive than the game actually was as the Red Storm needed an overtime period to grind out the win despite being at home as 22.5-point favorites.

Julian Champagnie had an off-night from the floor, going 6-for-17 on field-goal attempts, but the junior still managed to record a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Champagnie led the Red Storm in scoring last season with 19.8 points per game and has seen a slight uptick in production so far this year with 21.3 PPG. Posh Alexander finished last year as the team’s second-best scorer with 10.9 PPG and is up to 14.6 so far this season. This pair will be key to the Red Storm’s success in 2021-22.

How Kansas Will Cover

Kansas is loaded with depth on offense and has scored 87 points or more in four of its six games this season. If the Jayhawks play their best in the offensive zone, it will be difficult for St. John’s to avoid a loss and a Kansas cover.

How St. John’s Will Cover

St. John’s improved to 7-0 SU in its last seven home games with Saturday’s overtime win. Considering that Kansas struggled on the road last season, home-court advantage and solid defensive play could drive St. John’s to a cover as home underdogs in this one.