The No. 10
North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0) visit the No. 1
Kansas Jayhawks (1-0) Friday. Tip-off from Allen Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college basketball odds around the
North Carolina vs. Kansas odds , and make our expert
college basketball picks and predictions . North Carolina opened its season with a 90-76 win over Elon Monday while failing to cover as a 28-point home favorite. G
RJ Davis scored a game-high 24 points while F
Jae’Lyn Withers (10 points, 10 rebounds) added a double-double in the win. Kansas opened its season with an 87-57 win over Howard Monday while covering as a 27.5-point home favorite. G
Zeke Mayo scored a game-high 19 points. Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access
USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college basketball odds Lines last updated at 11:47 a.m. ET.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now ! North Carolina at Kansas picks and predictions
Prediction
PASS . There is no value on Kansas (-350) to win Friday.
BET KANSAS -7.5 (
-115 ). Kansas demonstrated its ability for anybody on its roster to find the basket Monday. With 9 players scoring 5 or more points, it was an all-around game for the Jayhawks. Against a Tar Heels team that struggled defensively against a lesser Elon team — allowing 4 players to score 14 or more points — the Jayhawks will rally around their home crowd for a dominant top-10 win.
BET OVER 159.5 (
-115 ). Expect a fast pace with a lot of back-and-forth scoring. Both sides have highly active teams that will be looking to push the ball and score in transition. Even with top defenses, the Tar Heels and Jayhawks should each be expected to score in droves.
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