Kansas Jayhawks (28-7, 13-5 Big 12) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13, 8-10 SEC)
- Date: Saturday, Mar. 19, 2022
- Start Time: 5:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, IA
- Coverage:'CBS
- Last Meeting: November 22, 2005 – Arkansas defeated Kansas 65-64 at the Maui Invitational.
- Moneyline: KAN: (-190) | ARK: (+155)
- Point Spread: KAN: -3.5 (-115) | ARK: +3.5 (-105)
- Total: 144.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
- Kansas 2022-23 Betting Trends: 17-18 ATS; 17-18 to the Over
- Arkansas 2022-23 Betting Trends: 17-16-1 ATS; 14-19-1 to the Over
- Kansas is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games against teams with a winning percentage over .600.
- Kansas is 1-4 ATS in its last five games following a SU win.
- Arkansas is 5-1 ATS in its last six neutral site games.
- Arkansas is 2-5 ATS in its last seven NCAA Tournament games.
- The Under has cashed in seven of Kansas’s last eight games.
- The Under is 4-0 in Arkansas’ last four NCAA Tournament games.
Kansas continues its pursuit of becoming the first repeat national champion since Florida did it in 2006-07. Though this is a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 8 seeds, it is also a meeting of two teams that were ranked in the top ten in the AP poll preseason top 25. The Jayhawks started the year tied for fifth in the AP poll, while Arkansas was ranked tenth in the preseason.
Arkansas did not last long as a top ten team before injuries hit it hard. The Razorbacks still miss center Travon Brazile but is the healthiest it has been in quite some time, with NBA prospect Nick Smith back playing the wing for the last ten games. Smith has scored 16+ points in four of the previous seven games, and he raises the ceiling considerably for a Razorbacks team that is battle-tested out of the rugged SEC. Arkansas went 3-7 ATS against ranked teams this year, and 4-6 ATS in an underdog role.