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The Kansas Jayhawks clash with the Samford Bulldogs in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks are heavy favorites to win at -300. In our March Madness NCAAB betting picks, we tell you if they will live up to their favorites tag and make it through to the Second Round, or if the Samford Bulldogs can pull off a shock win.
- What: 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament – First Round
- Who: Kansas Jayhawks (4) vs. Samford Bulldogs (13)
- Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
- When: Thursday, March 21st 2024
- Tip-Off: 8.55 p.m. ET
No.4 seed the Kansas Jayhawks get their campaign to win the NCAA Basketball Championship started against the Samford Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are seeded 13 and will need to produce something spectacular if they are to cause an upset in this Midwest Region showdown on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
Betting to win the Men’s 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship
In the betting to win the 2024 NCAA Basketball Championship, the Kansas Jayhawks are +4500. This is some fall from grace for one of the teams expected to feature at the start of the season. Their No.13 seeded opponents, the Samford Bulldogs, are an unlikely +50000 to win the championship.
Elsewhere, the UConn Huskies are the favorites to win the championship for a second successive year. The best March Madness betting sites make the Huskies +400 to win back-to-back championships. UConn is followed in the betting by fellow No.1 seeds the Houston Cougars at +550, Purdue at +700, and North Carolina at +1100.
Next is the Arizona Wildcats at +1200, Auburn at +1400, Tennessee at +1600, and Iowa State at +2000. These four colleges are seeded two in their respective regions. These odds are set to change over the weekend as the First Round matches take place, and we possibly see some high seeds fall.
Betting to win the Midwest Bracket
In the Midwest bracket, No.1 seed Purdue leads the way at +170. After the Boilermakers in the betting is Tennessee at +325 and Creighton at +400. The Jayhawks are fourth in the betting to win the bracket at +800, and Samford is at +10000.
In other bracket betting, the Houston Cougars are the favorite in the South at +140. Their closest rivals are Marquette at +550 and Duke at +575. UConn is +110 to win the East Bracket, with Iowa State second at +400. Finally, in the West bracket, Arizona is +250, and North Carolina is +325.
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Samford Bulldogs: March Madness Match Betting
Onto the betting to win the match and the top betting sites favor a win for the Kansas Jayhawks at -370. The Samford Bulldogs are the outsiders at +300 on the money line.
On the handicap spread, the Bulldogs are receiving an 8.5-point advantage. To win with the spread, Samford is -110. While to win and cover the 8.5-point spread, the Jayhawks are -110 with the best college basketball betting sites.
The total points amount is 153, with over and under both at -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAAB betting sites.
| Kansas vs. Samford |  |  |  |
| Kansas | -370 | -370 | -370 |
| Sanford | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Kansas (-8.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Stanford (+8.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 153 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 153 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Samford Bulldogs: Latest Form
The Kansas Jayhawks had a disappointing season, finishing sixth in the Big 12 Conference. They have an overall season record of 22-10, with a conference record of 10-8. On the road seems to be where Bill Self’s team failed. At home, the Jayhawks were solid with a 15-1 record. But on the road, they were 3-7, one of the worst in the conference.
Let's keep it rolling!@GoBearcatsMBB knocks off Kansas 72-52 to reach the @Big12Conference quarterfinals tomorrow night!#Bearcats | @FifthThird pic.twitter.com/ioTlCrY8xp
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) March 14, 2024
The Jayhawks are on a losing streak of two, with defeats coming against the Cincinnati Bearcats (72-52) in the Big 12 Tournament and a 76-47 thrashing from the Houston Cougars in their final regular-season conference match. The Jayhawks are in awful form, having lost four of their last five.
The Samford Bulldogs finished first in the Southern with a record of 29-5 overall and 15-3 in the conference. At home, the Bulldogs were 18-0 and on the road, 8-5. They come into the matchup with Kansas on a four-match winning streak. And in their last 14, they have a 12-2 record.
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Samford Bulldogs: Our Picks
This is one of those matches that looks rife for an upset. The stuttering Jayhawks taking on the in-form Bulldogs. In fairness to Kansas, the opponents that Samford has played in recent weeks haven’t been as strong as what the Jayhawks have faced. But confidence and self-belief can go a long way to deciding who wins a game of basketball. And here, one school has it, and the other doesn’t.
When it comes to the crunch, the quality of the Jayhawks’ opponents in those losses is relevant. Three of the four losses in their last five have come against teams in the AP top 25. And it’s also worth noting that Bill Self was without Kevin McCullar Jr. and Hunter Dickenson for the loss to the Bearcats. If the duo are back for the Samford match, we expect the Jayhawks to get the job done.
The Kansas Jayhawks to win and cover the spread is our betting pick.
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