The UMBC Retrievers were supposed to just be happy to be there. The No. 16 seed did the unthinkable and rocked the NCAA Tournament like no other team has by defeating No. 1 seed Virginia. The Retrievers opened as double-digit dogs to continue their magical run vs the Kansas State Wildcats.
- Kansas State is 17-1 SU in its last 18 games on Sunday.
- Kansas State is 17-2 SU as a favorite this season.
- Jairus Lyles leads UMBC at 20.5 points per game this season.
The Retrievers played out of their minds vs Virginia, knocking down 50 percent of their shots from three-point range (12 of 24) and completely neutralizing the Cavaliers’ patented pack-line defense. Jairus Lyles scored 28 points and helped UMBC to light up the scoreboard with 74 points, which is impressive considering Virginia only allowed 53.4 points per game all season (ranked first in the NCAA).
It’s hard to envision UMBC continuing its magical run but the Retrievers have been on a roll lately at 9-1 SU in their last 10 games and have covered in four straight. After beating a 1 seed, anything is possible with all conventional wisdom needing to be taken with a grain of salt.
As for the Wildcats, they did not leave the arena thinking their opponent would be UMBC on Sunday. This means K-State should be feeling confident it can play better perimeter defense than Virginia did vs the Retrievers, as the Wildcats limited Creighton to only 59 points and 9-for-34 from three-point range (26.5 percent) in their first-round victory.
If bettors are thinking of backing Kansas State, the trends they need to know are that the Wildcats are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games in March and 3-1 ATS in the last four games overall. Coming out of the Big 12 has seasoned this Wildcats squad to be ready for stiff competition and it shouldn’t shock anyone this time around if UMBC falls after such an emotional high.
The total opened at 135.5 and the UNDER should be the profitable angle in this matchup. Kansas State holds teams to an average of 67.9 points per game and was masterful with its perimeter defense vs Creighton. The Wildcats have only topped 70 points twice in their last seven games and should be able to clamp down on the Retrievers’ scorers.
UMBC Retrievers vs Kansas State Wildcats Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The UMBC Retrievers will try to spoil the party and cover the point spread on Sunday; they are 10-2 against the betting line this season, while the Kansas State Wildcats are 15-16 ATS. The Retrievers are 5-6-1 on betting the total; the Wildcats are 11-19-1.
The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Wildcats at No. 224 and the Retrievers at No. 265 heading into this college basketball betting matchup.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
UMBC cruised to victory on Friday, running Virginia out of the gym and running up a 74-54 score at Spectrum Center.
Barry Brown scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats to a 69-59 victory over Creighton at Spectrum Center on Friday.
