The Kansas Jayhawks look to rebound from their worst home loss in over 30 years when they take on the TCU Horned Frogs in a Big 12 matchup on Tuesday. Kansas looked like one of the top teams in the country winning eight games in a row after a season-opening loss to No. 1 Gonzaga. They looked like a bottom feeder in the Big 12 during their 84-59 loss to Texas. TCU comes in on a five-game winning streak and is looking to end a six-game slide against Kansas.
This college basketball game will air live on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 from Schollmaier Arena Fort Worth, TX.
Kansas vs TCU Odds
Kansas Jayhawks (Click here)
TCU Horned Frogs (Click here)
Over/Under (Click here)
If you’re going to end a lengthy winning streak it’s better to leave no doubt. And that’s exactly what the Jayhawks did over the weekend in their 25-point loss to Texas. It was a shocker since KU was playing good basketball with four wins over ranked opponents included in the eight-game streak that had them at No 3 in the national rankings. The outright loss also ended a three-game ATS winning streak. Overall the Jayhawks are 8-2 SU and 4-5 ATS in games that had a closing line. Kansas has won six straight in the series going 4-2 ATS in that stretch.
The schedule hasn’t been as difficult for the Horned Frogs with Tuesday’s matchup their first against a ranked foe. Since dropping consecutive games to Oklahoma and Providence in early December, the Frogs have rattled off five straight wins. They handed Oklahoma State its first loss of the season 77-76 in the second game of that winning streak while catching 5-points. TCU is 9-2 SU with both losses coming at home. They covered the 4-point line against K-State in their last win improving to 5-6 ATS.
Kansas Jayhawks
We’ll give the Jayhawks a pass on the last game since even good teams have an off night now and then. Their body of work so far has been strong with wins over top-15 teams West Virginia, Texas Tech and Creighton in four games prior to the Texas fiasco. And while the Jayhawks are again one of the top teams in the Big 12, they may not be the favorite with so many good squads. That means they have to come ready to play every night. And you can bet TCU is going to give KU a game. Getting into a rhythm will be a benefit. The Jayhawks hadn’t played in 12 days before taking the court against the Longhorns and the rust was evident.
We won’t see a Jayhawks team shoot as poorly as they did on Saturday when they made just 31 percent of their shots and were 3 of 23 from three-point range. That game was an outlier for a team that shoots nearly 43 percent from the floor and 38 percent from behind the arc. And you know a program that isn’t accustomed to losing is going to respond. “We have to be a lot better mentally. A lot tougher,” Bill Self said after the game.
Kansas was impacted by the absence of top reserve Bryce Thompson, who sat out after hurting his back in practice. The injury isn’t serious and Thompson should be back in the lineup Tuesday giving the Jayhawks more depth and added punch.
TCU Horned Frogs
For the first time since joining the Big 12 the Frogs opened conference play with two straight road victories knocking off OK State and Kansas State. Any league win is big, but emerging victorious at two difficult venues has to be encouraging. In between those games, though, we saw TCU struggle against lesser competition. That makes us wonder if the Frogs play down to their competition or they just got a little lucky. We’ll find out on Tuesday.
Following their win at OK State, the Frogs needed a late flurry to get past North Dakota State, 89-82. They were laying 12.5-points in that game. A matchup with Prairie View AM proved even more difficult. The Frogs needed another late surge to put the 20-point underdog Panthers away, 66-61. The key performer in both games was Mike Miles, who tallied 26 points against NDSU and had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists to help overcome Prairie View. Miles is one of three players doing the heavy lifting on offense. RJ Nembhard averages a team-best 18.7 points and Kevin Samuel chips in 10.2 points per game.
Kansas at TCU Prediction
Best Bet: Kansas Jayhawks
Things won’t come easy for Kansas this season and despite their blowout loss to Texas the Jayhawks are still the team to beat. “We have each other’s back. This is something we need to go through, something we needed, I feel like. But we’re going to stay together and stay positive and look forward to our game on Tuesday,” Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji said. The Jayhawks will respond in typical fashion to put that blowout loss behind them making them a smart play.
