A battle of Top 25 teams in college basketball action takes place today between the No. 13 Utah Utes and the No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks. The game is scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have the Jayhawks favored by just a couple of points to pick up the win.
Kansas has one of the best atmospheres in college basketball. Today they'll welcome in a Utah team that doesn't really care for the Jayhawks' atmosphere. Utah is looking to build their own successful campaign and they're off to a pretty good start, posting a record of 7-1 on the year. The Utes have won six straight games after losing to San Diego State and are red hot, shooting better than 51 percent for the year. They're going to need to shoot well in order to beat Kansas.
The Jayhawks just went on the road and beat Georgetown in a game where they were the underdogs. Kansas has also won six straight overall after getting boat-raced on national television by Kentucky in the second game of the season. Kansas has responded well from that beating, but they aren't a team that shoots the basketball particularly well. The Jayhawks are connecting for just over 41 percent from the floor on the season.
Both of these teams rebound the basketball well, but Utah does play at a pretty good pace, giving them more opportunities. The Utes are pouring in almost 79 points per game this season compared to 70 points per game from Kansas. Bill Self's group will need to defend well and force Utah into some tough shots in order to neutralize a lot of Utah's quality abilities. Perry Ellis will be the go-to guy in this one for the Jayhawks, leading the team in scoring and rebounding. He should battle with Delon Wright from Utah in this one.
Utah just picked up a tough road win at BYU in their last contest. They played San Diego State tough on the road earlier this season as well, so they should be prepared to come in focused, even at Phog Allen. The Jayhawks have played only three home games all season, most recently beating Florida in a close one.
This game will be close and Utah will hang around. If Kansas can use the home court advantage to their benefit, they'll find a way to pick up a close one here over a very good Utah team.
Free Pick: Kansas 63, Utah 57
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