Coming off an embarrassing 104-76 loss to Auburn in Atlanta, Indiana is back home but faces a rough bounce-back spot as an underdog against Kansas at Assembly Hall.
The Jayhawks are on a five-game win streak since their Maui Invitational loss to Marquette, and although there are still some issues with depth and consistent offense, they have claimed UConn and Missouri among their victims at Allen Fieldhouse.
This matchup features one of the nation’s top veteran centers in KU’s senior 7-footer Hunter Dickinson (19.4 ppg, 12.1 rpg) squaring off with one of the top sophomore bigs in IU 7-footer Kel’el Ware (16.7, 9.2), who transferred in from Oregon and has been his new team’s focal point at both ends of the floor.
Dickinson is better known, but Ware is more highly regarded as an NBA prospect, so this is an opportunity for both to impress. They can each step out on the perimeter and are utilized in similar fashion to help make the game easier on teammates, so this outcome will likely hinge on how effective they are.
Handicapping Kansas vs. Indiana odds relies on projecting whether Dickinson will aggressively dominate his younger counterpart or whether you think Ware can hang after a disappointing 2-for-8 effort against the Tigers in last Saturday’s Holiday Hoopsgiving.
Kansas vs. Indiana odds: Point spread, moneyline, total
Here are the latest college basketball betting odds for the Jayhawks vs. Hoosiers:
Kansas betting news: Jayhawks have won 7 of last 8 in series
It’s important Dickinson gets off to a strong start since this is the Jayhawks’ first true road game. Kansas is looking to even the series between these programs at 8-8 after losing the first six meetings.
Besides Dickinson, Bill Self has been able to rely on the consistent production of Harris as a ball handler and distributor, and Kevin McCullar, one of the nation’s top two-way wings. Against Mizzou, McCullar came up with 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals, and he’ll likely be tasked with keeping Galloway from finding a rhythm here.
Kansas (9-1 SU, 4-6 ATS) shot just 3-for-10 from 3-point range in the win over the Tigers, and Self didn’t play any of his reserves more than eight minutes, so the same issues that may end up tripping up the nation’s preseason No. 1 team remain the same.
Freshman Elmarko Jackson did score in double-digits for the first time in his college career and also played his first turnover-free game, so the Jayhawks would love to see him continue to progress.
With Jackson and fellow freshman Johnny Furphy being the X-factors between the Jayhawks being good or great, seeing how they handle a hostile road atmosphere for the first time will be telling.
Self lost at Assembly Hall two decades ago while at Illinois and knows the challenges ahead. Indiana is 4-0 at home this season and beat Dickinson-led Michigan last season in OT, so there’s no reason to think Kansas will come in overconfident.
Self has been around long enough to know how tough first true road tests can be. It doesn’t help that starting power forward KJ Adams was to ill to practice earlier in the week, though he is expected to play.
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Indiana betting news: Young Hoosiers look to bounce back at home
The Hoosiers (7-2, 3-5-1) come off the second-worst loss of the Mike Woodson era, and the head coach says he really won’t know how his team will respond since it’s a fairly new group. It hurts to not have point guard Xavier Johnson, a top-notch leader, facilitator and defender who hasn’t been the same since being injured in Lawrence last season. There’s no time table for his return yet.
Indiana had done a nice job of surviving his latest absence but were run out of State Farm Arena by Auburn, which doubled the Hoosiers up 20-10 on fast break points, outscored them 15-2 off turnovers and led by as many as 30.
If nothing else, these tough games are good learning experiences for a young team. Forward Mackenzie Mgbako, who picked IU over KU, and guard Gabe Kupps, both freshmen, are learning on the job. The Hoosiers’ senior leader, Trey Galloway, is playing out of position with Johnson sidelined, and is mired in a shooting slump, making only two of his last 19 3-point attempts.
Since Indiana is off to a 2-0 start in league play and will be favored in every game until Big Ten action resumes in early January, they’re playing with house money here as a chance to show off some resiliency.
Following a 20-point loss to UConn at Madison Square Garden last month, IU blew out Louisville, but this is obviously a different animal. Woodson will have to manage this one and hope his team can hang around enough so the crowd stays engaged and provides a boost.
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Kansas vs. Indiana prediction ATS
Not having Johnson significantly hampers Indiana’s ability to pull off an upset, and Auburn provided a blueprint of how to handle this current group.
Assembly Hall is capable of producing magic, but that will require Dickinson landing in foul trouble, Adams looking lethargic from a week of being ill, and another poor shooting display from beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers will likely look to shorten the game by milking possessions and locking in on the defensive end after getting torched for over 100 points, so we should see a lower-scoring game than expected. If Indiana hangs around, it will be because KU can’t get going, and if it gets blown out, remember that it typically takes two teams to deliver an OVER.
Pick: UNDER
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