Without star freshman Joel Embiid, No. 2 Kansas got the job done against No. 15 Eastern Kentucky. And if reports are to be believed, the Jayhawks won’t have their man back until the round after this one. But before looking forward to a fourth straight Sweet 16, Kansas must first survive No. 10 Stanford, who pulled off a major upset in the Round of 64 over a No. 7 New Mexico team that many had pegged to make a deep run.
Read on to get into the highs and lows of these two teams and bet this tight Round of 32 March Madness game.
[sc:MarchMadness ]No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 10 Stanford Cardinal Betting Preview
When: Sunday, March 23, 12:15 PM EST
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO
Line: Stanford Cardinal (+6) at Kansas Jayhawks (-6); total: 143.0
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks
No. 2 Kansas didn’t seem to need Joel Embiid in their 80-69 win over No. 15 Eastern Kentucky. Even without their star big man, the Jayhawks shot 60% from the field (but went 0-7 beyond the arc), thoroughly outrebounded the Colonels 43-19 and blocked seven shots.
However, the Colonels were still within just three points with less than four minutes remaining as they rode their hot three-point shooting, potting 12 from behind the arc in the game. The Jayhawks have now allowed double-digit made threes for the second consecutive game after giving up 11 in their Big 12 tournament loss to Iowa State. Kansas has been poor at defending the three this year in general, allowing opponents to shoot 36% from the distance.
On the bright side, Kansas had a balanced scoring attack, led by Andrew Wiggins’ 19 points. The Jayhawks also had five players in double-figures for the first time since beating Oklahoma six games ago.
Betting on the Stanford Cardinal
No. 10 Stanford made a successful return to the NCAA tournament with a 58-53 upset victory over No. 7 New Mexico. The Cardinal jumped out to a big lead and never trailed en route to their first tournament win since 2008.
Leading scorer Junior Chasson Randle once again led Stanford with 23 points and made three of the team’s eight three-pointers. Randle has now scored 20 or more points in five of his last six games; the Cardinal are 4-1 in those games.
Meanwhile, Stanford’s defense conceded 24 points to New Mexico star Cameron Bairstow, but limited sidekicks Alex Kirk and Kendall Williams to a combined six points on 1-12 shooting.
Prediction
Unless Kansas tightens up its defense in the perimeter, Stanford will keep within striking distance with its long-range shooting. However, the Jayhawks’ talent should come through in the end, look for them to cover the 6-point spread.
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