Kansas opens as 1.5-point underdog to Cincinnati in second round of Big 12 Tournament
Cincinnati is advancing in the Big 12 Tournament, taking down West Virginia on Tuesday. Their reward will be facing Kansas in the second round, usually a daunting task. Especially in Kansas City where the Jayhawks are expected to play in front of a lively home crowd.
However, according to FanDuel, Cincinnati has opened as a favorite heading into the game. Kansas will be a 1.5-point underdog and -106 on the money line, while Cincinnati is -113. The game total has been set at 137.5.
In a vacuum, you would never expect Kansas to be an underdog in a Big 12 Tournament game. Not only does the crowd play a factor but they have an incredible amount of success in the event. They won the first edition in 1997 and have added 11 more titles to the trophy cabinet.
No program has done as well in the Big 12 Tournament. No matter how well or poorly the season is going per Kansas expectations, exceeding in the postseason is always the expectation.
Injuries are what is likely behind the line, though. Kansas is set to be without two key stars throughout the entire tournament. Head coach Bill Self announced Hunter Dickinson (shoulder) and Kevin McCullar (knee) are out due to injuries. Both are expected back in time for the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re the least healthy we’ve been all year,” Self said. “We have the least number of players available to us we’ve had all year, but we should be the most healthy we’ve been in a long time when the NCAA Tournament starts.”
Cincinnati is in its first season in the Big 12 after previously being a member of the AAC. The schedule makers in Arlington decided to send them to Lawrence this season for the lone matchup between the two programs. Surprisingly, the Bearcats performed better than maybe some thought they would, suffering just a five-point loss.
Tip-off from the T-Mobile Center is going to be a late one, tentatively scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT. It will be a part of the second session of the day, taking the court following the Kansas State–Texas game, scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Winner will get to advance to the Quarterfinals and play the Baylor Bears. As of Tuesday night, the oddsmakers are going to back Cincinnati to win. How Self responds to the injuries with an already thin roster may wind up being the difference in the second-round matchup.