Providence vs. Kansas NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Picks for March 25 (Archive)
It’s the Big East versus the Big 12 when Providence meets Kansas in the Midwest Region, and we’re looking for the best way to play the NCAA basketball odds in Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup at Chicago’s United Center.
Providence Friars vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Friday, March 25, 2022 – 07:29 PM EDT at United Center
If we look just at the seeds for the clash between Kansas and Providence, then it’s the matchup we should’ve seen coming with the Jayhawks drawing No. 1 status in the Midwest and the Friars coming in at No. 4. Before the season began, however, there was no reason for anyone to expect Providence to be playing anyone at this stage of the game.
Yes, Kansas was projected to make it at least this far as the favorite to win the Big 12 and a national title contender according to the NCAA basketball futures. Providence was picked in the middle of the Big East pecking order, with the Friars’ best hopes just being on the proverbial bubble for March Madness.
Creighton, Texas Tech Common Opponents
It will be TBS providing 40 minutes of commercials for every 20 minutes of clock time at the game, and this should be an interesting mix of fans in Chicago with a pair if Midwest teams in Kansas and Iowa State make it to the regionals. BetOnline is selling the Jayhawks as 7-point chalk with 141½ for the total, plus has a long list of game props on the board as well.
Adding to the mystique of this matchup is the fact Providence and Kansas have never met. The Friars and Jayhawks did have a couple of common opponents this year, and the results from those games might give us a little insight into Friday’s fracas.
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Kansas will be facing its second consecutive Big East foe after taking out No. 9 seed Creighton on Sunday. The Jayhawks were favored by 13½ in the 79-72 final, holding off a Bluejays bunch that pulled within a point with under two minutes remaining.
Providence had one game with the Bluejays canceled and beat them handily near the end of the regular season before the Friars were blasted 85-58 by Creighton in the Big East Tournament. Texas Tech was another common foe, Providence pulling off a mild upset at home early in the season with a 72-68 win over the Red Raiders.
Kansas and Texas Tech split their regular-season meetings with home wins, and the Jayhawks took the rubber game in the Big 12 Championship with a 74-65 decision as 2-point favorites on the betting odds.
‘Over’ 4-2 in Friars’ Neutral Site Tilts
That win over Texas Tech, even as modest home underdogs, was our first notice that Ed Cooley might have something special going on this campaign. The Red Raiders were just outside the rankings at the time, and the victory came just a couple of weeks after Providence pulled off another upset with a 63-58 upset at Wisconsin.
It appeared the Friars might have run out of gas when they closed the regular season with their second loss to Villanova a few days after clinching the program’s first Big East title.
Providence then had that horrible loss to Creighton in the conference tourney as 3-point chalk at online betting sites, but have bounced back at the dance with wins and covers over pesky South Dakota State and Richmond squads.
‘Over’ 8-3 in KU’s Last 11 NCAA Tourney Games
It’s not easy to cover a 21½-point spread in the NCAA Tournament, even in a 1/16 matchup like Kansas had against Texas Southern to begin matters. The Jayhawks could’ve doubled that cover if Bill Self hadn’t eased off midway through the second half of the 83-56 final that included five KU players finishing in double figures.
Creighton put up a much better fight, and it was still a one-possession game with under a minute to go before four late free throws and a couple of stops put Kansas in the winner’s circle.
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The Jayhawks once again had a huge edge on the glass, as they had against Texas Southern, but Creighton contested those second-chance shots to hang close to Kansas. Providence doesn’t quite have the same defense as Creighton, at least statistically, but the Friars won’t be pushovers in any way.
One of the prop bets is whether or not both teams will score 65+, and that’s a big fat NO (-110) for yours truly. And it’s a big fat YES for my college basketball pick to take the Friars and the points.
NCAAB Pick: Providence +7 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.