The No. 13 seed <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/samford-bulldogs/">Samford Bulldogs</a> and No. 4 seed <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-jayhawks/">Kansas Jayhawks</a> are preparing for their highly anticipated first round matchup in the <a href="https://www.on3.com/news/ncaa-tournament-field-68-bracket-revealed-march-madness-2024/">2024 NCAA Tournament</a>. The Jayhawks were dealt some brutal news ahead of the game, when head coach <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-jayhawks/news/bill-self-rules-kevin-mccullar-out-of-ncaa-tournament/">Bill Self ruled his leading scorer, Kevin McCullar, out for the entire NCAA Tournament</a>. 



He’s been dealing with a nagging knee injury.



Like plenty of other teams across the country, Kansas has had an up-and-down season this year, with impressive wins over <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kentucky-wildcats/">Kentucky</a>, <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/tennessee-volunteers/">Tennessee</a>, and <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/houston-cougars/">Houston</a>. But the Jayhawks got whipped in their rematch with the Cougars (76-46). <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/kevin-mccullar-74250/">Kevin McCullar</a> was dealing with his knee injury in that one and didn’t play at all in the second half. Kansas big man, <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/hunter-dickinson-48425/">Hunter Dickinson</a>, will play in Thursday’s matchup, <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-jayhawks/news/hunter-dickinson-kevin-mccullar-to-miss-big-12-tournament-due-to-injury-update/">despite missing the Big 12 Tournament with a dislocated shoulder</a>.



The <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/samford-bulldogs/">Samford Bulldogs</a> punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 2000. They won their first-ever SoCon Tournament Title with a 76-69 win over the ETSU Buccaneers. In reaching 29 wins, the Bulldogs have won the most games in program history. Their head coach, <a href="https://samfordsports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/bucky-mcmillan/1510">Bucky McMillan</a>, has led their program to unprecedented success in his four years there.



Samford figures to be a trendy upset pick over the Jayhawks, as <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-jayhawks/news/cbs-seth-davis-puts-kansas-jayhawks-upset-alert-first-round-ncaa-tournament-samford/">Seth Davis immediately put Kansas on upset alert in the NCAA Tournament Bracket Selection Show</a> on Sunday evening.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-odds-for-samford-vs-kansas">Odds for Samford vs. Kansas</h2>



Vegas tends to think this game could be pretty close. Kansas is currently only a 6.5-point favorite, <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab">according to FanDuel</a>. The Jayhawks are listed at -310 to win on the money line. And the over/under for this one is slated at 153.5 total points. 



Samford features four players that average double digits. The Bulldogs are one of the highest-scoring teams in the country at 84.3 points per game, ranking them seventh in America. Kansas is averaging 75.0 points per game, ranking them 111th in the nation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-score-predictions-for-samford-vs-kansas">Final score predictions for Samford vs. Kansas</h2>



BPI Predicted winner: Kansas BPI Predicted point differential: 11.5 BPI Win probability (for Kansas): 83.8 percent BPI Matchup Quality: 74.9



<a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bpi/predictions/_/date/20240321">ESPN’s BPI</a> is a model designed to provide a statistical comparison between two teams and predict future success. It appears that the BPI model disagrees with Vegas as to how this game is going to play out, by several points. The BPI gives the Jayhawks an 83.8 percent chance of winning. The point differential is listed at 11.5 points, nearly <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab">double the spread that Vegas</a> has the game listed at on FanDuel.



The BPI gives this matchup a matchup quality score of 74.9, which ranks 9th among all the games in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. That ranks it about right in the middle of the pack.



KenPom Predicted final score: Samford 74, Kansas 81 KenPom Win probability (for Kansas): 73 percent



<a href="https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Arizona">KenPom</a> is another predictive metrics system for college basketball. It’s designed to show how strong a team is at a given time, without taking factors like injuries into account. KenPom seems to agree with Vegas that this <a href="https://kenpom.com/gameprep.php?g=6141">game is going to be relatively close</a>, with the Jayhawks winning by seven points. 



He gives Kansas a <a href="https://kenpom.com/gameprep.php?g=6141">73 percent chance to win the game</a>, which is just a little bit lower than the BPI.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-watch-samford-vs-kansas">How to watch Samford vs. Kansas</h2>



Time: 9:55 p.m. ET Channel: TBS (actual channel), <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront/ref=atv_hm_spo_c_rEmqNT_6_2?contentType=tournament&contentId=amzn1.dv.icid.64a44c0e-3ac7-4b14-ad4d-c2a438001f2c&jic=8%7CEgNhbGw%3D">Prime Video</a> (streaming) Location: Delta Center–Salt Lake City, Utah



<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront/ref=atv_hm_spo_c_rEmqNT_6_2?contentType=tournament&contentId=amzn1.dv.icid.64a44c0e-3ac7-4b14-ad4d-c2a438001f2c&jic=8%7CEgNhbGw%3D">You can watch the tournament live on Prime Video, add on your favorite channels and watch at home or on your phone and laptop at work!</a>



Samford and Kansas are set to tip off at 9:55 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on TBS and will be streamed on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront/ref=atv_hm_spo_c_rEmqNT_6_2?contentType=tournament&contentId=amzn1.dv.icid.64a44c0e-3ac7-4b14-ad4d-c2a438001f2c&jic=8%7CEgNhbGw%3D">Amazon Prime Video</a>. It will be played at a neutral site in Salt Lake City, Utah. The first-round contest will be played in the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

samford-vs-kansas-odds-win-probability-final-score-prediction-in-ncaa-tournament

Sports Betting

5GOATs

Samford vs. Kansas odds: Win probability, final score prediction in NCAA Tournament

team image

Pro News

NFL News

NFL Draft News

NASCAR

NBA News

NBA Draft News

Culture

About

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

1-on-1 with Miami transfer QB

Darian Mensah

The impact on NFL Draft

NIL and QBs

Enters hospice care

Lou Holtz

The race for No. 1

Best hoops conference 

Confusion on who pays

Player Buyouts