Kansas vs Marquette Prediction & Picks: Will Dickinson Dominate Again to Send Jayhawks to Maui Title Tilt?

Yesterday, Hunter Dickinson and #1 Kansas brushed aside Chaminade to start the Maui Invitational. As expected, they made light work of the Division II Silverswords, but a much, much tougher test awaits today as they have to go up against Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek, and #4 Marquette (10:30 pm ET, ESPN).

The winner of the matchup between the Jayhawks (4-0) and Golden Eagles (4-0) will meet the winner of Tennessee-Purdue in tomorrow’s championship contest at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

While the idea of a matchup of the top two teams in the rankings, as well as arguably the top two players in the country in Dickinson and Purdue’s Zach Edey, is quite the tantalizing prospect, both teams have to get through today.

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Kansas vs Marquette Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Kansas -4.5 (-105)
• Marquette +4.5 (-115)

Over/Under

• Over 157.5 (-110)
• Under 157.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Kansas -195
• Marquette +165

Kansas vs Marquette Prediction & Picks

Prediction: Kansas to win

Picks: Kansas/Marquette over 157.5 (-110 at Bovada) & Kansas team total over 80.5 (-110 at Bovada)

In last night’s game against UCLA, Marquette was down by a dozen in the second half and needed a Sean Jones three and two misses by the Bruins to pull out a 71-69 win.

There would have been no shame in losing to UCLA, who may be short on collective experience but high on potential and will be a handful and a half at the business end of the season. But a much better effort will be needed to boot Kansas to the third-place game.

However, it does have to be said that yesterday’s close shave against the Bruins did show is how deep and dangerous Marquette is. While Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek took only 15 shots combined, David Joplin took that many himself and stepped up in a major way. He made 7 of his 15 shots, including 5 of 11 from three, and finished with 19 points. In 72 career games, he has only one better scoring effort, a 28-point performance against DePaul last season.

Of course, you want your biggest threats to take the most shots most nights, and Kam Jones and Kolek might need to fire away more against Kansas for Marquette to have the best shot at the win.

Top Players for Marquette

• Kam Jones: 17.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 46.2% 3PT
• Tyler Kolek: 13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.8 APG, 55.6% 3PT
• Oso Ighodaro: 13.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG
• David Joplin: 10.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG

More importantly, they will need to do a serviceable job against Kansas’s multiple threats.

In addition to Dickinson’s 31 points and 11 rebounds against Chaminade, Kevin McCullar Jr. posted his second straight triple-double, putting up 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Silverswords. Prior to last week’s Champions Classic, there had been only two triple-doubles in the entire storied history of the program.

Like Marquette, Kansas has threats up and down the lineup. Against Kentucky, point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. showed he can light it up if the team needs him to.

Today, K.J. Adams Jr. could take the spotlight. Or it could be the time for sharpshooting Towson transfer Nicolas Timberlake to finally show the perimeter prowess that made him such an in-demand portal pickup.

Top Players for Kansas

• Hunter Dickinson: 24.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG
• Kevin McCullar Jr.: 17.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.3 APG
• K.J. Adams Jr.: 12.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG
• Dajuan Harris Jr.: 8.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 7.5 APG

Honestly, this is one of those games that is almost too good to bet on. It’s one of those games where I much rather focus on the entertainment and quality on display than have to think about if my plays are going to hit.

Note that I said “almost,” because we are still getting in our picks in for what should be a classic. I don’t love the spread here, but I do like the Jayhawks to outscore the Golden Eagles and find a way to win this one, just like they did against Kentucky in Chicago a week ago.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice. Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on countless games, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
• BetOnline
• BetUS
• Bookmaker
• Bovada
• MyBookie
• Sportsbetting.ag

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Other College Basketball Content

• Tennessee vs Purdue Prediction & Picks
• NCAA Basketball Best Bets for November 21
• College Basketball Betting Guide
• Men’s Wooden Award Winner Odds
• Women’s Wooden Award Winner Odds