In this Kansas vs. Arizona prediction, the 6th-seeded Jayhawks square off against the 3rd-seeded Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. The Jayhawks survived an overtime battle with UCF on Wednesday night to reach this quarterfinal game. The Wildcats, in their first season as a member of the Big 12, went 14-6 in conference play this season to earn the double-bye into the quarterfinals. The opening tap is scheduled for 9:00 pm EST. Read on for more in this Kansas/Arizona prediction and grab more NCAAB Predictions!
Kansas survives
The Kansas Jayhawks started strong in the Big 12 Tournament with a second-round win over Central Florida on Wednesday night. The Jayhawks led by just two at the half but the start of the second half belong to them and they built a double-digit lead. The Knights weren’t ready to go away, however, and a 3-point field goal with 10 seconds to play tied the game and led to overtime. In the overtime period, the Jayhawks built up a five-point lead but the Knights fought back and had a chance to tie or take the lead before a key KJ Adams steal with under 30 seconds to go. The Jayhawks survived a game UCF team after that, winning 96-94. Hunter Dickinson had 23 points and 13 rebounds while guard Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks with 24 points.
The Jayhawks have now reeled off two straight wins after a tough stretch of basketball of the last few weeks. One of those wins came at the expense of these Arizona Wildcats in Kansas to close out the season. The Jayhawks won 83-76, opening up a 9-point lead at the half and holding on for the victory. Hunter Dickinson matched his career-high with 33 points against the Wildcats. This game will be strength vs. strength with the Jayhawks possessing one of the best interior offenses and the Wildcats stout in the paint. Both teams played the game clean, with a combined 13 turnovers in the game including just five from the Jayhawks.
Key injuries: G Shakeel Moore, F Zach Clemence, and G Noah Shelby are out.
Wildcats ready for payback
The Arizona Wildcats completed a solid first season in the Big 12 Conference, with a 14-5 mark in conference play. They are 20-11 overall and earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals as the third-seed in the Big 12. They could have finished higher, but they went just 5-5 in their final ten games, including losses in two of their last three games. Arizona has key wins over Iowa State, Texas Tech, and a road win at BYU.
“I got really high standards for myself and for the program,” head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I wish we were higher than third, but it’s where we ended up. I don’t think there’s any you know thing to be ashamed of being third in the Big 12.”
Arizona will try to avenge its season-closing loss to Kansas on the road. The Wildcats were done in by a dominant performance from the Jayhawks in the painted area, outscored 40-34 down low and outrebounded 36-30 by the Jayhawks. The Wildcats now have a chance to improve their NCAA Tournament seeding with a good showing in the Big 12 Tournament. Caleb Love leads the Wildcats, averaging nearly 16.5 points per game. Jaden Brady averaged nearly four assists per game, and Tobe Awaka is grabbing eight rebounds per contest. The Wildcats are first in the Big 12 in points per game this season. They are fifth in field goal shooting and just 15th in 3-point shooting. The Wildcats are 13th in 3-point field goals made per game. Arizona is ranked 13th in the country in offensive efficiency. Defensively, the Wildcats are ranked 13th in points allowed this season in the conference. They are fourth in field goal defense and 10th in 3-point defense. The Wildcats are ranked 29th in the nation in defensive efficiency. They are fifth in scoring margin in the Big 12, seventh in turnover margin, and first in rebounding.
Key Injuries: C Motiejus Krivas is out.
Best Bets for Kansas vs. Arizona
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Jayhawks were a slight favorite in the season finale and covered a 2.5-point spread. The Jayhawks beat the Wildcats at their own game, beating them in points in the paint and outrebounding them as well. Kansas is the better of the two teams on the perimeter although neither team is elite. The Wildcats do have some issues defending the 3-point shot and that could haunt them in what will be a close game. Dickinson proved up to the challenge in the last meeting and the veteran center certainly wants to put his stamp on his brief Kansas stay with a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks’ ability to hang with the #1 rebounding team in the conference was a huge reason for their success in the season finale and they have the interior strength to repeat that. Kansas is hitting their stride at the right time. They have too much talent to go from a team that was ranked #1 to being not ranked by season’s end. They’ll get to the semifinals with a win on Thursday night.
Take Kansas
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
The reason that the over seems like a strong play is the ability of both teams to limit their mistakes. Each team will get plenty of looks at the rim and won’t waste possessions with silly turnovers. The Wildcats are first in the Big 12 in scoring this season and give up a lot as well, ranked 13th. Kansas is 7th in the conference in scoring but also fourth in field goal shooting. This one will be played clean, feature plenty of quality shot-making, and go over the total once again.
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