The Kansas Jayhawks will welcome the Villanova Wildcats to the Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon for their first meeting since the Wildcats eliminated the Jayhawks in the Final Four last year. Villanova took care of business with a commanding 95-79 win in route to a National Championship.
Heading into this matchup, it’s the Jayhawks with the upper hand as they boast the No.1 spot in both the AP and the Coaches Poll. Villanova is still a top-25 team, too, but the Wildcats did lose a ton of talent from last year’s championship team. Both teams recruited well, but Kansas is in position for a payback win on Saturday.
Can the Jayhawks remain undefeated and hold their top ranking as they play the Wildcats? Or will Villanova get the upset to stretch their winning streak to seven games?
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Villanova Wildcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Date and Time: Saturday, December 15, 2018, 12 p.m. ET
Location: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Wildcats vs. Jayhawks TV Coverage: ESPN
Kansas entered the season as a popular preseason pick to cut down the nets at the end of the season and have floated at or around of the top of the rankings through the first six weeks of the college basketball season.
The Jayhawks enter this game undefeated as 8-0, one of a dwindling number of undefeated schools left in the college hoops landscape.
Getting to this point without a blemish on their record, Kansas has already toppled Michigan State, Tennessee. The Spartans currently rank No.9 in the AP while the Volunteers are No.3. By comparison, the Wildcats rank No.17.
Based on those numbers, Kansas should continue to roll and they’ve got the stats to do just that. This team can win the high scoring affairs as they did against Michigan State with a 92-87 victory. They can also win the defensive battles as evidence by their 63-60 win over New Mexico State.
Lately, the total offense has been dropping for Kansas, but the wins keep coming.
The Jayhawks have a deep roster with quality hold-overs from last year, a dynamic transfer class and plenty of freshman upside. It’s really a perfect combination for Bill Self.
On the outside, Kansas boast a deep group of guards led by Lagerald Vick who has 16.3 PPG and is shooting north of 55-percent from three-point range. Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes, meanwhile, have been excellent in the early going as well.
Inside the paint, however, is where the Jayhawks have really established an advantage with Dedric Lawson and Udoka Azubuike though the latter is out with a high ankle sprain now. Lawson is an elite forward with 19.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG and some solid defense. At 7’1”, however, Azubuike was the big man in the middle and the defensive force of the frontcourt. With him out, Lawson needs to step up more as Self went with a four-guard set against New Mexico. Mitch Lightfoot, however, did see significant time on the court and seemingly stepped up with a block, six rebounds and seven points in 18 minutes.
For Villanova, the team got off to a rough start going 2-2, but they’re now 8-2 thanks to a six game winning streak. The Wildcats’ two losses came against Michigan and Furman. With Furman now ranking No.23 in the AP, at least Nova’s losses came against ranked opponents, but that does pose plenty of questions for this one against Kansas.
The Wildcats roster is starting to come together under Jay Wright who did a good job reinforcing the talent on the roster after being hit hard with players leaving for the NBA.
Villanova has six players with at least 20 minutes per game on the court. On the outside, the team is led by senior guard Phil Booth with 15.6 PPG with Collin Gillespie averaging 10.7 points and proving a better shot, particularly from beyond the arc.
Inside the paint, Eric Paschall, Saddiq Bey and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree give the team a bit more depth than Kanas under the basket given the injury to Azubuike.
Live Betting
Without Azubuike, Kansas has shifted to a four guard lineup. It’s worked in the second half of the Wofford game as well as against New Mexico State. It’ll be put to the test against Villanova.
Lawson isn’t foreign to being the lone forward on the court. He dealt with this when he and his brother played at Memphis in the 2016-2017 season and fair rather well. So far, the four guard set has created opportunities for Lawson and the guards to score and even attack the rim given the relatively open lanes.
With two Final Four teams from last year matching up in a battle of ranked teams this year, keep close tabs on the battle inside the paint, particularly as you take part in all the live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu.
Key Player
The key player in this game is Dedric Lawson. The Kansas forward has dominated the competition and needs to continue doing so without Azubuike.
While Lightfoot does provide another quality player inside, the Wildcats frontcourt could provide a challenge for a now guard-heavy team.
The former Memphis forward has dominated in his first season in Lawrence and if not for a goose-egg in 19 minutes against Vermont in early November, the season-long numbers would be even more staggering.
In eight games played, he’s scored at least 19 points in seven of them. He’s got five double-doubles, scoring at least 20 in each of them, including four in his last five games. He’s also nabbed four blocks in the last two games. His ability to defend the basket inside will come into play in this one. Villanova’s biggest chance to get the upset will come inside with Azubuike not playing.
Wildcats vs. Jayhawks Live Betting
The Wildcats remain undefeated for a reason. They’ve showed their ability against some of the best teams in college basketball. Meanwhile, the Wildcats took the loss in their challenges against ranked opponents.
The loss of Azubuike is an important one and that should allow the Wildcats to stay close in this one despite playing on the road in a very hostile environment in Lawrence. Still, at the end of the day, count on the Jayhawks to walk away victorious on their home court.
Lawson has been an absolute stud all year long and will have another big game on Saturday while the backcourt for Kansas outshoots the Wildcats as well.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Kansas 78, Villanova 75
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
