Cincinnati vs. Kansas Prediction, Odds, Key Players for Monday, Jan. 22 (Back the Bearcats)
By Reed Wallach
Cincinnati and Kansas are each off of weekend losses, and now meet at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night in hopes of getting back on track.
Winning at Allen Fieldhouse is as tough of a task as any in college basketball, but the Bearcats will look to shut down the Jayhawks offense en route to a stunning Big 12 win for the newcomers that already have a handful of impressive results in league play.
Can Cincinnati stay within a big number, or will KU get back on track after a weekend road loss?
Here are the odds and our best bet for Monday's lone Big 12 matchup:
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Cincinnati vs. Kansas Odds, Spread and Total
Kansas vs. Cincinnati Betting Trends
- Cincinnati is 2-1 ATS as an underdog this season
- Kansas is 7-10-1 ATS this season
- Cincinnati has gone OVER in 10 of 18 games
Cincinnati vs. Kansas How to Watch
- Date: Monday, Jan. 22
- Game Time: 9:00 PM EST
- Venue: Allen Fieldhouse
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- Cincinnati Record: 13-5
- Kansas Record: 15-3
Cincinnati vs. Kansas Key Players to Watch
Cincinnati
Viktor Lakhin: The Bearcats big man will take the task of big man Hunter Dickinson on Monday. Lakhin has been a stout rim protector for the impressive Cincy defense, posting a top five block rate in Big 12 play. On the other end, he's a capable three-point shooter at nearly 33% on more than two tries per game, grabbing seven rebounds as well.
Kansas
Hunter Dickinson: Dickinson is one of the best big men in the country and moving from the Big Ten with Michigan to the Big 12 with KU hasn't been an issue. The Jayhawks are tops in Big 12 play in effective field goal percentage, averaging more than 19 points per game on 60% shooting from the field. However, Kansas has struggled to shoot from the perimeter, can Dickinson help unlock a normally stout Bearcats defense?
Cincinnati vs. Kansas Prediction and Pick
Kansas is off of a loss on the road to West Virginia as the team continues to struggle away from home in Big 12 play, and while the team is likely going to get back on track with a win at home, I think this is far too big of a spread against Cincinnati.
The Bearcats have been competitive in the team's first year in the Big 12, going to BYU and winning outright as a double digit underdog, knocking off TCU at home and losing by one possession to the likes of Baylor and Texas.
Cincinnati is an elite defensive unit, presenting length all over the floor and an excellent rebounding team. The Bearcats are seventh in defensive rebounding percentage and 54th in two-point field goal percentage allowed. This is big against a Kansas team that isn't comfortable shooting from the perimeter, bottom 40 in terms of 3-point rate, and lacking a floor spacer to open up the interior for big man Hunter Dickinson.
KU is the best Big 12 offense according to KenPom, mainly due to its 61% two-point field goal percentage. However, Cincy's interior defense is going to pose problems that can force the team to take contested mid-range shots or 3s, which may be ripe for a step back as league play continues.
Many will point to Kansas returning home as a reason to back the Jayhawks, but this number has shifted way too far. This number is -6 according to KenPom and closer to -5 per Haslametrics. I'll take the Bearcats to keep it within the number.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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