Houston heads into Phog Allen Fieldhouse tonight laying a short number (-1.5) against Kansas, trying to avoid something the Cougars haven’t done since 2017: Lose 3 in a row.
The current two-game skid came against Iowa State and Arizona — both top-six caliber teams — and now the market is asking whether Kansas belongs in that same tier.
Power ratings suggest maybe not.
Despite Kansas sitting eighth in the AP Poll, Bart Torvik ranks the Jayhawks 15th and KenPom 19th. That gap between perception and efficiency matters, especially when Houston’s identity — defense, offensive rebounding and physicality — directly attacks some of Kansas’ softer spots.
Adam Burke previews Houston at Kansas (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
But wait . . . Greg Peterson has this nugget in his Best Bets:
Kansas is riding one of the most remarkable streaks in the sport, going 40-0 straight up in Big Monday games under Bill Self.
👉 More from Greg on Houston-Kansas and the rest of Monday’s card.
Greg posts handicapped lines every day and breaks down every game on the Coast-to-Coast Hoops podcast throughout the season.
Look for even more Best Bets from Adam later this morning on our college basketball page. You’ll also find picks from Tyler Shoemaker and Josh Appelbaum.
Other college hoops resources
>Matchup page
>Makinen’s daily power ratings
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
>College Basketball Picks Page
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page.
Horse Racing: DRF’s Scott Ehlers has picks for today’s Turf Paradise card.
