After beating the Harvard Crimson in the Ivy League Finals, the Pennsylvania Quakers punched their tickets to the National Tournament. They will be up against top seed Kansas in the first round, though. Will the Quakers do the improbable and take down the Jayhawks? Or will Kansas send the Quakers back home? Register here to make your pick.
Betting Preview for the Pennsylvania Quakers vs Kansas Jayhawks College Basketball Championship Tournament Round 1 Game on March 15 2018
Where: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita
When: Thursday, March 15, 00:00 PM ET
Line: Pennsylvania Quakers (n/a) vs Kansas Jayhawks (n/a) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: TBS
Betting on the Pennsylvania Quakers (23-8)
If you’re asking why the Quakers are here, it’s because Pennsylvania had a higher quiz score than beat Harvard in the Ivy League Finals, 68-65. Beating a team like Harvard does not mean the Quakers could just thump their chests heading into Thursday’s game in Wichita, but their defense is something that they will draw confidence from. Pennsylvania finished the regular season second in the Ivy League with only 68.8 points allowed per game. Furthermore, the Quakers are 73rd in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency with 99.9 points surrendered per 100 possessions by opponents. Pennsylvania needs to control the rebounds to slow down Kansas. The Quakers are tops in their conference with 41.4 rebounds per game.
Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (27-7)
The Jayhawks get to dance with Pennsylvania in the first round of the National Tournament, a game that they should win because that’s what No. 1 seeds do in the first round. Kansas banks on its stellar defense that is being propelled by the Jayhawks’ lethal backcourt. Devonte Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Graham leads the Jayhawks with 17.3 points per game while Mykhailiuk gets 15.1 per outing. As a team, Kansas averages 81.5 points per game on 49.8 percent shooting from the field. The Jayhawks have range. They are shooting 49.8 percent from deep, and own an effective field goal percentage of 58.1. That does not sound good for Pennsylvania’s chances for an upset. Kansas’ offense isn’t regarded as one of the best in the nation, but the Jayhawks should be able to tame the Quakers’ mediocre offense that has mostly been sharpened by nobodies in prior to the National Tournament.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas cruises on its way to an 84-63 win.
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