Final Score: Kansas 78 – West Virginia 74
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -3.5 (-110) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
Picks Summary
- West Virginia vs. Kansas: Kansas -3.5 (-110) & Over 149 (-109)
- Oklahoma State vs. Texas: Oklahoma St. +6 (-108) & Under 142.5 (-108)
- TCU vs. Kansas State: Kansas State ML (+110) & Under 146.5 (-110)
A full day of action in the Big 12 Tournament awaits college basketball bettors on Thursday, the lineup including the Kansas Jayhawks who are not only in search of the conference crown but looking to defend their National Championship.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Thursday, March 09, 2023 – 03:00 PM EST at T-Mobile Center
First-game jitters can always be an issue, but there were none for Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers who played a steady game of basketball to easily outpace Texas Tech in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
The Mountaineers now go from the frying pan into the fire in a quarterfinals matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks, and it will take more than just a steady effort for West Virginia to take down the defending national champs.
Jayhawks Have Won Last 5 Meetings
West Virginia will be trying to stop a 5-game skid against Kansas in the collision, and gain a little measure of revenge for being bounced from the quarterfinals of last year’s Big 12 Tournament by the Jayhawks.
- Kansas is 20-6 vs. West Virginia, each of those contests taking place since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12.
- The Jayhawks have won all 4 meetings in the conference tourney.
- The teams split covers in their games this season, and both matches finished below the totals at the best sportsbooks.
KU’s McCullar Iffy to Take the Floor
The morning lines at Bookmaker list Kansas as 3.5-point chalk with 149 for the total. Those numbers take into account the back injury Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. is dealing with, making him questionable to play.
Both teams played sloppy basketball in Lawrence a little less than two weeks ago, and the Mountaineers still kept it close despite 21 turnovers and hitting just 6-of-21 from 3-point range. I still like Kansas and will go against the grain of the season trend with a lean to the ‘Over.’
Final Score: Kansas 78 – West Virginia 74
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -3.5 (-110) at Bookmaker
NCAAB Pick: Over 149 (-109) at Bookmaker
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Texas Longhorns
Thursday, March 09, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at T-Mobile Center
Very few enjoy good, solid, physical defense on the hardwood more than I do. But there’s a huge difference between a defensive battle and an error-filled offensive contest, which is what Oklahoma State’s 57-49 win was over Oklahoma in Wednesday’s opening round.
Texas Has Won Last 3 Tourney Meetings
The Cowboys will get blown out of T-Mobile Center if they play like that against the Texas Longhorns in Thursday’s prime-time telecast. Texas is showing up -6 on the NCAAB odds, and 142.5 is the scoreboard target.
Rodney Terry and the Longhorns took both regular season meetings back in January, with the totals splitting. The matchup in Stillwater was another one of those examples of the two offenses being their own worst enemies in a 56-46 Texas triumph.
Can Cowboys Corral the Longhorns?
Oklahoma State really, really, really needs this win to have a shot at getting an NCAA Tournament invite. It ain’t gonna happen, but I will take the Cowboys plus the points with my college basketball pick and expect the final to come up short.
Final Score: Texas 65 – Oklahoma State 60
NCAAB Pick: Oklahoma St. +6 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
NCAAB Pick: Under 142.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports
TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Thursday, March 09, 2023 – 09:30 PM EST at T-Mobile Center
Projected to finish last in the Big 12 according to the college basketball futures back in November, it was the job turned in by Jerome Tang and Kansas State that ultimately made the conference the deepest in the country.
Tang and the Wildcats look to keep fooling the experts with a deep run in the tournament, and their first test will come against Jamie Dixon’s TCU Horned Frogs in the nightcap of the quarterfinals. Most shops are selling TCU -2 with 146½ for the total.
A Split in Regular Season Meetings
Kansas State and TCU swapped home wins in the regular season with eerily similar scores. The Horned Frogs took charge midway through the first half in Ft. Worth in the first meeting and skated to an 82-68 win as 4.5-point chalk.
About three weeks later in Manhattan, the Wildcats finished on a 17-2 run in the final 5 minutes for an 82-61 result. This time it was Kansas State favored by those same 4.5 points at Kansas betting sites.
- This year’s contests split the totals, and the ‘Under’ has cashed 6 of the last 8.
- Kansas State has a 19-7 advantage since TCU joined the conference 10 years ago.
Frogs’ Top Rebounder Leaves Team
Adding a bizarre twist to the matchup is TCU’s Eddie Lampkin Jr. abruptly leaving the program amid allegations of abuse and “racial remarks.”
Much like the incident at Texas Tech earlier this week that led to Mark Adams resigning as head coach, this distraction has to negatively affect the Horned Frogs. Kansas State straight-up and another ‘Under.’
Final Score: Kansas State 75 – TCU 70
NCAAB Pick: Kansas State ML (+110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
NCAAB Pick: Under 146.5 (-110) at Bovada
*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.
