The Omaha Mavericks and the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks open their seasons Monday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (Big 12 Network/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Omaha vs. Kansas school odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Mavericks stumbled to a 5-24 SU record last season, including a dismal 4-14 record in the Summit League. Omaha also dropped all 15 of its road games in 2021 and hasn’t tasted a road victory since winning a pair of games at Denver to close out the 2020 COVID season.
The defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks lost starters G Ochai Agbaji, G Christian Braun, F David McCormack and G Remy Martin, as well as bench specialists G Jalen Coleman-Lands and F Mitch Lightfoot.
While that sounds like a lot of production to replace, and it is, G Gradey Dick is a 5-star prospect expected to be a plug-and-play option, as is G MJ Rice, a four-star wing player. C Ernest Udeh Jr. is another 4-star player expected to have a prominent role, while G Kevin McCullar transfers in from Texas Tech to give KU some added experience.