The 14^th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will travel to Houston, Texas to face the #1-ranked Houston Cougars at the Fertitta Center with the tip-off scheduled for 4:00 PM ET on Saturday afternoon and will air on ESPN.

The Kansas Jayhawks enter this game ranked 14^th in the AP Poll and 15^th in the Coaches Poll with an overall record of 22-8 and are in a tie with the Texas Tech Red Raiders for 4^th place in the Big 12 with a conference record of 10-7 following Tuesday’s 90-68 win at home against the Kansas State Wildcats which also ended their two-game losing streak. 

Kansas has been an above-average team offensively as they are averaging 77 points per game which ranks 83^rd nationally. Defensively, the Jayhawks have also been an above-average team as they rank 79^th nationally in points allowed per game with an average of 68.33 points allowed per game. Hunter Dickinson enters this game averaging a double-double with 18.2 points and 11 rebounds per game while also leading the team in blocks with an average of 1.4 blocks per game. 

The Kansas Jayhawks will look to build off the momentum following the win against the Kansas State Wildcats when they travel to face the #1-ranked Houston Cougars.

The Houston Cougars enter this game ranked 1^st in the AP Poll and 1^st in the Coaches Poll with an overall record of 27-3 and are in 1^st place in the Big 12 conference with a conference record of 14-3 while having won their previous eight games in a row following Wednesday’s 67-59 win on the road against the UCF Knights. 

The success of the Cougars this season can be attributed to their defensive play as they are allowing the fewest points per game in college basketball this season with an average of 57.21 points allowed per game. Offensively, Houston ranks 155^th nationally with an average of 74.38 points per game which is above the national average of 73.69 points per game. Jamal Shead has played a pivotal role in the success the Cougars have had this season and leads the team in assists and steals while being 2^nd on the team in scoring with an average of 13.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. 

The Houston Cougars will look to extend their winning streak to nine games when they host the 14^th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday evening.

BookMaker has the Houston Cougars listed as 8-point favorites at home against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday evening. Kansas has won both games all-time in the series while having won by an average margin of 15 points per game in those meetings. The Jayhawks have covered the spread in both games all-time in the series including a 1-point cover as a home underdog earlier this season. The Kansas Jayhawks are 13-16-1 ATS overall, 3-6 ATS on the road, 2-2 ATS as an underdog, and 8-9 ATS in conference games this season while the Houston Cougars are 13-15-2 ATS overall, 9-5-2 ATS at home, 13-15-2 ATS as a favorite, and 6-10-1 ATS in conference games on the year.

Houston enters this game with a better record, however, Kansas has been the better team in the series, winning both games all-time. The Jayhawks have covered the spread in both games all-time in the series while having been the better team at covering the spread in conference games this season with a record of 8-9 ATS in conference games while the Cougars are 6-10-1 ATS in conference games which is why I am taking the points with the Kansas Jayhawks when they travel to face the Houston Cougars on Saturday evening.