The Kansas Jayhawks look to end a four-game against the spread slide as double-digit favorites as they take on the Pennsylvania Quakers on Thursday afternoon in a March Madness matchup at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita. The Jayhawks are coming off an 81-70 upset of West Virginia as 1.5-point underdogs in the Big 12 tournament final, while the Quakers posted a 68-65 win over Harvard in Sunday’s Ivy League final.
- Pennsylvania is 0-3 SU in its last three games against Kansas.
- Kansas is 12-0 SU in its last 12 games against the Ivy League.
- The total has gone OVER in four of Pennsylvania’s last five games.
No. 1 Kansas has won straight up in eight of nine contests but has been streaky at the sportsbooks, going 10-11 against the spread in 21 contests since New Year’s Day. The Jayhawks have struggled as heavy chalk during that stretch, going 3-8 ATS while favored by 7 or more, and are a dismal 2-7 ATS in nine dates as double-digit favorites.
The No. 16 Quakers have produced steady results since losing their first two games of the season, going 24-6 SU while avoiding consecutive losses. Pennsylvania is also 5-0 SU in its past five against winning teams.
Kansas returns to March Madness for a record 29th consecutive year and is unbeaten SU in 11 straight first-round matchups. Conversely, the Quakers have failed to win at the NCAA Tournament since 1994, going 0-9 SU since.
Pennsylvania Quakers vs Kansas Jayhawks Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Pennsylvania Quakers will try to spoil to the party and cover the point spread on Thursday; they are 15-14 ATS against the betting line this season, while the Kansas Jayhawks are 18-15 ATS. Pennsylvania Quakers are 18-11 on betting the total; Kansas Jayhawks are 15-16-2.
This college basketball game matches up the No. 155 (Kansas) and the No. 107 (Pennsylvania) teams in the league, according to our current NCAA basketball power rankings.
Statistical Matchup
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Kansas has the nation's No. 27-rated offensive output, at 81.5 PPG. The visiting Pennsylvania Quakers defense ranks No. 64 allowing on average 68.69 PPG. The Jayhawks FG% has averaged 49.76% so far, more than the Kansas Quakers marksmen have achieved on the year, 46.01% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Quakers got 19 points from Darnell Foreman as Pennsylvania ran past Harvard 68-65 on Sunday at Palestra.
The Jayhawks got 20 points from Malik Newman as Kansas ran past West Virginia 81-70 on Saturday at Sprint Center.
