We didn’t get a proper conclusion to last season so why not open the new campaign with a pair of teams that many felt had a shot at winning the national championship a season ago. Amid all the cancellations and postponements before the college basketball season even gets underway, the matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and Gonzaga Bulldogs is still on the ticket. And it’s going to be a good one. Kansas ended last season as the No. 1 team in the country with the Zags a close second. With an embarrassment of riches returning to the hardwood, Gonzaga edged Baylor as the top team in the AP preseason top-25 poll. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, earned enough votes for No. 6.
The game will air live on FOX at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 26, 2020 from the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas Jayhawks +4
Gonzaga Bulldogs -4
Total (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
The Jayhawks played 31 games last season and were favored in all but two. Things have changed a bit this year and they are catching 4-points on the current line. Playing as a dog didn’t deter them from winning both games, though the highest spread was only 2-points. They knocked off Big 12 rivals West Virginia and Baylor, both times on the road, en route to a 28-3 ledger. Kansas won its final 16 games and was poised to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before the event was shuttered due to COVID. The Zags ended last season as WCC regular season and tournament champions – again – finishing with a 31-2 SU and 17-16 ATS record. They were one of the hottest teams in country losing just once in three months leading up to March Madness.
Kansas Jayhawks
New seasons always bring about change. And the Jayhawks have a lot of changes on their roster, especially at the top. Bill Self has to replace his top two scorers from a season ago, which is no easy task for a team that averaged 74.6 points per game. Only three players averaged in double figures with Devon Dotson leading the way at 18.1. Dotson also paced the squad averaging 35 minutes a contest.
The departure of Udoka Azubuike might be an even bigger loss. The big man led the nation in field goal percentage while dropping 13.1 points with 10.5 rebounds per game last season. Those two accounted for nearly 43 percent of the team’s scoring in 2019-20. There are options, quite a few actually, and that could be what helps the Jayhawks during the course of a season that’s sure to be interrupted at some point by COVID.
With no friendly exhibition games inside the confines of Allen Fieldhouse to get the Jayhawks prepped, they might be overmatched for the opener against a stacked Gonzaga team. Still, they must be doing something right to be ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll. Ochai Agbaji is the top returning scorer and Marcus Garrett supplies leadership in the backcourt. David McCormack is expected to pick up the slack in the middle after averaging 18.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per 40 minutes last season. Self said the 6-10 forward has been the team’s best player this preseason.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
About the only thing left on Mark Few’s checklist is winning a national championship. The Bulldogs were poised to make a run last season after winning 31 of 33 games, only to have the tournament shuttered. No problem, the Zags just return a stellar bunch of players with hopes that this season ends differently – that they play and that the Zags win the last game of the season.
WCC Player of the Year Filip Petrusev is no longer around, but that hasn’t stopped the Zags from floating a number of players across the various awards watch lists. Corey Kispert returned for his senior season and is in line to win another top conference honor for the program. Kispert is a matchup nightmare – a 6-7 wing who shot nearly 44 percent from three-point range last season. And shooting the basketball is something the Zags do very well.
The Zags led the nation in scoring with 87.4 points per game last season draining 51.5 percent of their shots. And they’ve been the most efficient offensive team the last two years. Three players who averaged at least 9.8 points last season are back along with a recruiting class that includes Jalen Suggs, who many feel could be one of the best players in the country.
Kansas vs. Gonzaga Prediction
Both teams are jumping head first into the season. It seems like more of an issue for Kansas considering the loss of two prominent players and no immediate successors. Each side can go deep on the bench, but the Zags have more experience and a ready-made lineup made for title contention. And that’s why I’m backing Gonzaga for a cover win.
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