by
The Kansas Jayhawks were many people’s favorites to win the Big 12 before the start of the 2023/24 college basketball season, and after a solid start to the campaign, Jayhawks backers can be content with how the team has progressed in the opening few weeks. The Jayhawks are +180 to win the regular-season title and go back-to-back. In our latest NCAAB futures, we look at how they are progressing and also tell you if they are still the best bet to win the Big 12 this season.
- The 2023/24 college basketball started on November 6th, 2023, and finishes on March 17th, 2024
- The Kansas Jayhawks started the season as the +180 favorites to win the Big 12. After seven wins from their opening eight matches, they are still the +180 betting favorites
- In the Jayhawks’ most recent match, they defeated the 2023 Champions UConn at Allen Fieldhouse
#Payheed All Who Enter Beware of the Phog.#RockChalk | #InvescoQQQ pic.twitter.com/seiTblWvwS
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) December 2, 2023
The Jayhawks shared the Big 12 regular-season title in 2021/22 and won it outright in 2022/23. They are one of the strongest sides in the conference, and as a result, they are bookmakers’ favorites to win it again this season. But despite still holding the tag of favorites, the Jayhawks haven’t had things all their way so far in the current campaign.
Losing No.1 Ranking Status
The Jayhawks started the season as the No.1 team in the AP Rankings. They retained their position at the top until week four of the season. Then, they were replaced by the Purdue Boilermakers at the top of the rankings. And Kansas didn’t just drop down one place. They plunged to No.5. This on the back of a heavy 73-59 defeat to the then-ranked four Marquette.
Since dropping down the rankings, Kansas has defeated Eastern Illinois 71-63, and then on Friday night, they defeated the No.4 ranked UConn by 69 points to 65. Both wins came on their home patch of the Allen Fieldhouse. The win against the Huskies should result in a move for both teams when the next rankings are announced.
Big 12 Regular Season betting
The Kansas Jayhawks have been the most successful team in the Big 12 across the last 25 years. In total, the Jayhawks have won or shared the regular-season title on 20 occasions across this period.
In more recent times, they shared the title in 2022 and won it outright in 2023. This good recent record saw Kansas start the season as the +180 favorites to win the title again. And after a good start – except for the loss to Marquette – the Jayhawks are still +180.
In the betting behind Kansas, there has been a significant change in the college basketball odds. Houston started the season at +400, but they have now been backed into +300 second favorites. The big movers are Texas, who were +450 but have drifted to +850. The shift in the Texas odds came after a comprehensive 10-point defeat at home to UConn in their fifth match of the season.
On Wednesday, the Longhorns face Marquette. Win that, and we would expect to see their odds shorten again. The latest odds to win the Big 12 can be found on our NCAA Men’s Basketball betting table.
| 2023/24 Big 12 NCAAB Regular Season Betting |  |  |  |
| Kansas | +180 | +180 | +180 |
| Houston | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Texas | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Baylor | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| TCU | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Iowa State | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| BYU | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Texas Tech | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Kansas State | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Oklahoma | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Cincinnati | +4500 | +4500 | +4500 |
| Oklahoma State | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| UCF | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
2023/24 NCAA Basketball Futures Betting
The Jayhawks started the season as the favorites to win both the Big 12 and NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. As we’ve just seen, they are still the betting favorite to win the Big 12 but are no longer the favorite to win the 2024 Championship match; that accolade now belongs to the Purdue Boilermakers.
Yes, Purdue has not only taken the No.1 ranking from the Jayhawks, but they have also taken over at the top of the betting. The best college basketball betting sites now make Purdue the favorites at +1100, with Marquette and Arizona joint-second at +1200. The Jayhawks are now +1400, the same price as Kentucky.
This represents a significant shift in the betting, as Kansas started the season as the favorites at +1000.
As for the Boilermakers, it’s no massive surprise to see Matt Painter’s team assume the role of favorites after their impressive unbeaten start to the season. Their impressive run includes wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette on successive nights at the Maui Invitational championship in Honolulu. But all good things must come to an end, and Purdue’s run did when they suffered a shock 92-88 defeat away to the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday night.
DOWN GOES NO. 1 AGAIN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/B4aveJLu5E
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) December 2, 2023
Our NCAAB Picks to win the Big 12 in the 2023/24 regular season
Even though the Jayhawks haven’t looked comfortable this season, Bill Self’s team still looks like the best side in the Big 12. The loss to Marquette came early in the season, and though that will have eroded confidence in Kansas backers, the team has plenty of time to put the loss behind them and go on a confidence-building run of wins.
We’re far from convinced that Kansas will win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Championship match. But we still firmly believe they are the pick to win the regular-season Big 12 title.
Please check out our partner table for the best online sportsbooks for wagering on college basketball:
