Kansas vs TCU Basketball Point Spread Favors Jayhawks in Big 12 Tournament

Oddsmakers like the Jayhawks to defeat the Horned Frogs and advance to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self smiles during the Sunflower Showdown against Kansas State at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday, March 7, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kansas begins postseason play Thursday as the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

The Jayhawks are favored by 5.5 points against No. 6 seed TCU, and the over/under is 145.5 points, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook on Thursday afternoon. Kansas is a -258 favorite on the moneyline, while TCU's moneyline odds are +210.

Tipoff between the Jayhawks and Horned Frogs is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The winner advances to Friday's semifinal game against the winner of No. 10 BYU vs. No. 2 Houston, which tips off Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

For a two-time national champion coach like Bill Self, the best time of the year is about to begin.

"If you're going to ask favorite months of the year, March would rank ahead of Christmas, ahead of December for me," Self said. "Just because this is what we love to do and live for and everything. So yes, I find a ton of enjoyment, and hopefully I will coach better and certainly energized to do whatever I have to do and whatever our staff has to do to prepare the guys. But it's the most fun time."

Kansas' NCAA Tournament projections going into Big 12 Tournament

Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kansas is projected to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology from Thursday morning. CBS Sports isn't has high the Jayhawks, slotting them as a No. 5 seed as of Thursday.

The Big 12 Tournament is a prime opportunity for Kansas to boost its resume, though. Wednesday's game against TCU is a Quad 1 opportunity, and so would any future matchup in the Big 12 Tournament, whether it be Houston, BYU, Arizona, UCF or Iowa State.

The Jayhawks will need to take care of their own business first, but they likely benefitted from Texas Tech's 22-point loss to Iowa State on Thursday. CBS Sports projected Texas Tech as a No. 4 seed, which could be enough to switch seed lines. Kansas won the head-to-head matchup and has one more Quad 1 win than the Red Raiders.

The Jayhawks could also get a boost from losses by teams like Virginia, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa State, Purdue and Alabama, who are currently projected in the No. 3 to No. 5 seed range in the latest NCAA Tournament projections on Thursday.