The No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (16-4) take on another blueblood in the Kentucky Wildcats (14-6) in Rupp Arena Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Kansas vs. Kentucky odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Kansas enters on a 3-game losing streak, most recently falling 75-69 as a 2-point road underdog at No. 17 Baylor Monday. The defeat followed a rare home loss, 83-60 as a 7-point favorite to 11th-ranked TCU Jan. 21. It was just the 17th home loss under coach Bill Self. This is one more loss than the team has conference titles under Self. Kansas has never had a 4-game losing streak under Self. Saturday is an important test for the Jayhawks and National Player of the Year candidate F Jalen Wilson, who despite the struggles of the team has still managed to put up points (21.4 per game). He scored 23 on a 10-for-16 performance against Baylor.
Kentucky has been on a rollercoaster after opening the season ranked No. 4. The Wildcats have fallen completely out of the rankings but are looking to make a charge down the stretch. After losing 71-68 at home to South Carolina as 20-point favorites, the Wildcats ran off 4 straight wins, including a 63-56 road victory over then-No. 5, now-No. 4 Tennessee as 11-point underdogs in their next game. The victory over the Vols was followed by wins against Georgia, Texas A&M and most recently, a 69-53 triumph as 6-point road favorites at Vanderbilt Tuesday.