Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Kansas Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson (10)
College Basketball Odds: Omaha vs. Kansas
| Omaha Odds | +24 |
| UMass Odds | -24 |
| Over/Under | 146 |
| Time/Channel | 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2 |
In most sports, betting value leans toward the underdog because casual bettors, those who place wagers for action as opposed to solely value, overwhelmingly prefer to play favorites, which creates contrarian opportunities for those willing to back the team getting points.
However, early in a college basketball season when bettors are still focusing primarily on football, favorites can still be undervalued, even in games with big spreads.
According to our College Basketball PRO Report, that’s exactly what we’re seeing in Friday night’s Omaha vs. Kansas matchup.
College Basketball Picks: Omaha vs. Kansas
Big Money
Sixty-two percent of bettors have taken Omaha and the points, but 99% of the money is on Kansas.
This is a massive bets-vs.-money discrepancy that suggests the Jayhawks are attracting huge spread bets, but take this data with a grain of salt.
It’s unreasonable to think that Kansas is the preferred landing spot for the largest wagers, but also expect this vast chasm to close as more college basketball public betting data is reported throughout the day.
PRO Systems
However, our historical betting data points toward Kansas being the right side of this game via our Top 15 Home Teams PRO Betting System. The talent gaps among the elite teams are often even larger than the market anticipates.
Top 15 teams playing non-conference opponents at home are undervalued historically, and when you layer in a few more filters, you have a system that is 230-174-8 (57%) against the spread since 2005.
Let’s not overthink this — a historically-profitable spot has big bettors backing the Jayhawks.
PRO Report Pick: Kansas -24