In his press conference just prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, Connecticut Huskies coach Kevin Ollie stated, "This is what we do at UConn." We've all seen this story before. The Huskies were on the bubble heading into their conference tournament. They went ahead and won the AAC. Now, they're on the verge of the Sweet 16 and could be just starting a massive run once again.
Of course, if the chalk holds up, the Kansas Jayhawks will dismiss Ollie's side once and for all this year, but since when does the chalk hold up in games in March involving the Huskies?
NCAA Tournament Odds at BookMaker.eu
Connecticut Huskies +8
Kansas Jayhawks -8
Over/Under 139
HOW THE CONNECTICUT HUSKIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Huskies really played well in the second half against Colorado to open up this tournament, and Daniel Hamilton was really the reason for that. He put up 17 points and 10 boards against the Buffs, marking his fourth straight double-double.
Hamilton is the type of player who could be a real pain in the butt to the Jayhawks. He's technically a guard, but at 6-foot-7, he's one of these in-between players who can both play as a guard out on the perimeter or as a big on the inside. Kansas has historically struggled with long, lanky guards, and especially if he ends up doing some on-the-ball defending, Hamilton could end up being the star of this game.
We're really looking for Amida Brimah to have a big game against the KU front line. He wasn't great against Colorado, scoring just four points with seven boards, but he also had five blocks. Brimah will have to be a presence on both sides of the court to give the Huskies a shot at this upset.
HOW THE KANSAS JAYHAWKS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
We all know that Kansas doesn't have the most talent in the nation, but it still plays like the best comprehensive team in America.
Granted, Austin Peay wasn't exactly the best competition on the face of the earth, but the Jayhawks still cracked 100 points with Devonte' Graham not scoring a single point and Frank Mason only putting up nine. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk isn't going to score 23 every night out like he did against the Huskies, but getting some sort of contribution like that from a bench player or two would really help out the cause here.
More important though, is just not turning the ball over all that much. The Jayhawks turned the ball over an average of 15.5 times per game in their losses this year. Connecticut doesn't have the best defense in the land by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a pesky squad, especially with Hamilton and Jalen Adams and their quick hands.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It's not often that you see public underdogs in the second round of the tourney, but this is a situation where the Huskies are sure to be public. Their history in the NCAA Tournament is second to really none these last few years, and Kansas' history suggests that it could be on its way out of the dance at any point against a team like this.
That said, we don't know what more Kansas needs to prove to be trusted by bettors. It arguably has the deepest team in America, and it has really played well over the course of the last couple weeks in the Big XII Tournament and here in the first round of the dance. We'll lay the lumber and expect the top seed in the South to advance relatively easily.
Kansas 77, Connecticut 59
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