College Basketball Odds: Long Beach State 49ers vs. Kansas Jayhawks

The Long Beach State 49ers (4-3) and No. 13 Kansas Jayhawks (5-2) will meet up on Tuesday night inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS in a game televised on ESPN U.

Long Beach State 49ers at Kansas Jayhawks

The Long Beach State 49ers are set to play the Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels this week

Long Beach state hits the road for a pair of games against nationally-ranked opponents this week, marking the second time in three seasons that the program has played two ranked teams in the same week.

The 49ers actually tallied an 86-76 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers as 13.5-point road underdogs on Nov. 16, but dropped a 79-66 decision to the Louisville Cardinals less than two weeks later.

All five starters are averaging more than 9.1 points per game, and are led by senior guard Casper Ware, who is averaging 17.1 points per game.  He was named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List and has shown great ability throughout the season.

Bettors will find that the 49ers are 0-2 ATS as road underdogs of 9.5 to 12 points the last two-plus seasons, with both of those games going ‘over’ the total.

Kansas continues its five-game homestand and comes off a 70-42 win over the South Florida Bulls as 16-point home favorites.  The Jayhawks two losses have come against the Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats this season.

“They’ve taken it to a different level than I ever imagined,” commented Jayhawks coach Bill Self.  “We don’t have as many offensive weapons like we’ve had in the past.”  He’s mainly talking about the play of Tyshawn Taylor, who scored 24 points last time out.

The Jayhawks are averaging 73.1 points per game and allowing just 58.9, which comes out to a +14.3 scoring margin.  Defensively, the team just held South Florida to 42 points, serving as the fourth least amount of points allowed during his time on the bench.

Pounding the glass has been a strength for the program this year, out-rebounding its last six opponents, but its also managed to outshoot six of seven opponents this season.  Kansas also ranks third in the Big 12 Conference in shooting 74.4 percent from the free throw line.

Junior Thomas Robinson is a major part of the team’s success on the glass, leading all players in the conference in averaging 12.1 rebounds per game, as he just missed his seventh-straight double-double with 14 points and eight boards versus the Bulls.

Bettors will likely back the Jayhawks due to covering four of their last five home games, while the 49ers are 1-5 ATS when traveling on the road.

Recommendation:  Kansas Jayhawks -12