The Seton Hall Pirates face off against the No. 9-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in college basketball action on Thursday night. The Pirates have struggled so far this season and oddsmakers expect that to continue against the defending national champs.
NCAA basketball betting odds opened with the Jayhawks as 7.5-point home favorites and money has poured in on them, shifting this line to double digits.
Can Bill Self's squad cover this sizable spread against a Seton Hall program that has made five of the last six NCAA tournaments? Find out with my best free Seton Hall vs. Kansas college basketball picks and predictions for December 1.
Seton Hall vs Kansas best odds
Seton Hall vs Kansas picks and predictions
The Pirates have dropped two in a row and are coming off an ugly offensive performance against Siena where they were held to 55 points on 33% shooting. It's been a tough start to the season for first-year head coach Shaheen Holloway, who is trying to find an offensive identity after Seton Hall lost its top three scorers.
The Pirates lack a true go-to scorer and shot-creator and that problem has been exacerbated by an injury to second-leading scorer Dre Davis, who missed the last game with a knee injury.
Talented guard Kadary Richmond was expected to take off in his second year with the program but has struggled and barely saw the floor in the second half against the Saints. The poor backcourt play has resulted in Seton Hall ranking outside the Top-300 schools in turnover rate
Now the Pirates travel to one of the toughest venues in college basketball at the Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks limit foes to a field goal percentage of 38.7% and guard Dajuan Harris does an excellent job of pressuring opposing ball handlers.
I liked the Jayhawks on the spread with their opening line, but the value on that is long gone with this spread up to -10. However, there's been interesting movement on the team totals with the Jawhawks O/U ticking up to 74.5 but Seton Hall's staying relatively steady at 63.5. That has me fading the Pirates on their team total.
My best bet: Seton Hall team total Under 63.5 (-110 at bet365)
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Seton Hall vs Kansas spread analysis
Seton Hall is 2-3 SU and ATS in its last five games and is fresh off that previously-mentioned 60-55 loss to tiny Siena. Before that defeat, the Pirates were defeated 77-64 by Oklahoma and they have struggled to find consistency, allowing both the Saints and Sooners to go on major runs.
After long-time head coach Kevin Willard left in the offseason they replaced him with former player Holloway, who led Saint Peter's to a Cinderella run in the Sweet 16 last season.
Holloway emphasizes energy on the defensive end of the floor and loves to use his bench but has so far found it tough to find lineups that gel. Several transfers were brought in to replace their three leading scorers from last year and they've also missed departed center Ike Obiagu and injured big man Alexis Yetna down low.
Kansas is coming off a dominant 87-55 victory against Texas Southern, which snapped a streak of four-straight games where it failed to cover the spread.
The Jayhawks are still 5-1 SU and are tied for ninth on the futures board after winning the national title in April. They lost three starters from last year's national title team but returned several key pieces like Harris and forward Jalen Wilson.
Wilson has emerged as a Wooden Award candidate and leads the team with 22.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while five-star freshman Gradey Dick adds 15.4 ppg.
The Jayhawks are sixth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom while ranking 17th on the defensive end of the floor. However, there were flaws exposed in last week's Battle 4 Atlantis tourney when they were pushed into overtime by Wisconsin in the semifinals before losing by 14 points to Tennessee in the final.
The Jayhawks are dealing with a couple of key injuries with stat-stuffing wing Kevin McCullar Jr. and backup guard Bobby Pettiford expected to miss today's contest. That said, they have more than enough depth to overcome those losses with highly-regarded freshman MJ Rice and former Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year Joseph Yesufu in line to see more minutes.
The Pirates will be in a far worse spot if Davis can't suit up for the second game in a row.
Seton Hall vs Kansas Over/Under analysis
The total opened at 136.5 and has ticked up to 138.5. Both of these teams like to play with smaller lineups that can run the floor but neither rushes their shot attempts.
I mentioned that the Pirates have struggled with the ball and their best offensive players have been former Clemson Tiger Al-Amir Dawes, who leads the team with 11.9 ppg, and center Tyrese Samuel (10.9 ppg in just 19.4 mpg).
Holloway exceeded expectations at Saint Peter's because of how hard the Peacocks played on the defensive end of the floor. He'll need to bring that attitude to the Pirates since Seton Hall is averaging just 89.3 points per 100 possessions over its last three games.
The Jayhawks torched tiny Texas Southern for 87 points on Monday but they struggled on offense against Tennessee and Wisconsin, two schools that play at a slower pace and stress defense. They scored just 50 points on 32% shooting against the Vols and had a 39 FG% versus the Badgers.
Seton Hall vs Kansas betting trend to know
The Under is 13-3 in the Pirates last 16 road games. Find more College basketball betting trends for Seton Hall vs. Kansas.
Seton Hall vs Kansas game info
| Location: | Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS |
| Date: | Thursday, December 1, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: |
ESPN |
