Green Bay Phoenix vs. Kansas Jayhawks Picks and Prediction for Monday, November 3, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s the opening day of the 2025-26 college basketball season and it brings a non-conference tilt between the Horizon League and the Big 12 as the Green Bay Phoenix take on the #19 Kansas Jayhawks Monday night as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in the Sunflower State and we have you covered with our Green Bay vs. Kansas prediction. Green Bay finished the 2024-25 season 4-28 overall and failed to make the postseason. Kansas finished 2024-25 with a 21-13 mark and fell 79-72 to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed. This marks the first time that the two programs have met on the hardwood as Division I opponents. Read more about this Green Bay vs. Kansas prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Green Bay Has Nowhere to Go But Up
Green Bay turned in a miserable campaign in 2024-25, going 4-28 overall and just 2-18 in conference play, leaving them 11th in the Horizon League. Coach Doug Gottlieb may have been better off sticking with his radio job given how poorly his team executed last season. The Phoenix famously lost by a bucket at home to Michigan Tech, a Division II squad that he referred to as “Nobody U”, last December. On the plus side, Green Bay brings back three starters from last year’s squad. On the flip side, Anthony Roy, who put up 25.7 ppg last year before getting hurt, is gone, and none of the transfers the program brought in have played big roles at the Division I level. That makes for another rough year for the Phoenix, more than likely.
The Phoenix were a below-average offensive attack as they piled up an average of 69.9 points per game last season, putting them 283rd in the nation in scoring offense. Green Bay collected an average of 29.9 rebounds a night (356th) while dishing out an average of 14 assists (147th) per game last season. The Phoenix were below average defensively as they ranked 348th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 80.3 points a game. Green Bay shot 43.2% from the field as a team last season. The Phoenix splashed 8.1 triples a night, which was 138th in Division I, while shooting 32.9% (241st) from beyond the arc as a team. Green Bay was excellent at the charity stripe, cashing in 78.4% of their attempts as a team in 2024-25, which put them 16th in the nation. Marcus Hall (13.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg)is the team’s leading returning scorer while Preston Ruedinger and Mac Wrecke are other returning starters.
Jayhawks Seek to Return to Form After Down Campaign
There are a lot of teams that would be happy with 21 victories and a spot in the NCAA Tournament but Kansas isn’t one of them. The Jayhawks’ 21-13 mark was their lowest win total in a full season (not counting the truncated 2020-21 COVID season) since Roy Williams’ first team went 19-12 back in 1988-89. Bill Self lost a lot of pieces from last season’s squad as six guys that put up at least six points per game, including Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo, are gone. The Jayhawks went out and added some transfers to the mix as Tre White (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg at Illinois), Melvin Council Jr. (14.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.1 apg at St. Bonaventure) and Jayden Dawson (13.9 ppg at Loyola Chicago) are all going to be looked at to produce out of the gate.
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The Jayhawks averaged a solid 76.1 points per game this season, putting them 113th in the nation in scoring offense in 2024-25. Kansas collected 38.5 rebounds per contest (28th) and dished out 17.7 assists a night, which was fifth in the nation. The Jayhawks were 91st in scoring defense as they allowed 69.6 points per contest last season. Last season, the Jayhawks shot 47% from the field as a team, putting them 55th in the country. Kansas knocked down 7.4 three-pointers a night while sinking 35.4% from beyond the arc, putting them 96th in the country. The Jayhawks were average at the free-throw line as they converted at a 71.6% rate last season. Flory Bidunga (5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds) is the team’s top returning scorer.
Green Bay vs. Kansas Pick
Green Bay vs. Kansas Spread Pick
- Kansas -28.5 (4 units)
Kansas already looked good in exhibition play, downing #11 Louisville by eight before cruising past Fort Hays State, so they’re ready to go. Green Bay hung tough in a loss to Bradley and beat St. Norbert but let’s be honest. We’re talking about a Phoenix squad that lost to Michigan Tech last year at home. They now have to go into Allen Fieldhouse, one of college basketball’s most hallowed barns. The only non-conference team to hang tight in Lawrence was North Carolina in the second game of the season. Kansas, even with a slew of new faces, should have no problem thrashing Green Bay in this contest.
Green Bay vs. Kansas Over/Under Pick
- Under 152.5 (4 units)
Last season, Green Bay saw the over post a 16-15 mark in their 31 games with a posted total. Green Bay was 280th in offensive efficiency, 245th in turnover percentage (18%), 362nd, or third to last in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (18.4%) and 359th as 13.5% of their shot attempts were blocked. It’s tough to expect much from the Phoenix offensively here. In 2024-25, Kansas saw the under hit in 21 of their 34 contests. Kansas ranked 11th in defensive efficiency, 16th in effective field goal percentage defense (46.3%), 17th in field goal percentage defense (40%), 30th in two-point defense (46.3%) and 31st in three-point defense (30.8%) last season. The Jayhawks were 114th in tempo with 68.6 possessions a game. Seeing that you can’t count on Green Bay scoring 55 points, take the under here.
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