Tigers vs Jayhawks: Game Predictions

The Madness has officially begun! The NCAA Tournament started today, and the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks get the final game of the first day. Coming off a Big 12 regular season and tournament title, Kansas is looking to build some momentum before facing vastly different teams in the next few rounds. The opponent tonight? The Texas Southern Tigers.

It is extremely rare for a 16 seed to give the top seed any problems, but health issues for the Kansas Jayhawks might make this game closer than it should be on paper. Will Kansas build on the momentum from the Big 12 Tournament and get off to a strong start? Or will they struggle to get going and have to sweat a bit before putting this game away late?

Our crew gets together to tell you what we think you can expect to see today.

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Kyle Davis: Texas Southern is a good first opponent because it is tough on defense, especially guarding the interior, so it should be a good warmup for the second-round matchup. Offensively, Texas Southern leaves a lot to be desired and turns the ball over 21% of the time, which means KU should have plenty of chances to get out and run. The key to this game is to get in a rhythm but be able to give key guys like Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, and Christian Braun some rest before Saturday. And, of course, avoid injuries.

Kansas 84, Texas Southern 65

Brendan Dzwierzynski: Like Kyle said, there should be plenty of chances to get out in transition and that should be enough to propel Kansas to a decisive win. I said this on the podcast Thursday morning, but I’m especially intrigued to see David McCormack battle down low against Brison Gresham, who said this week he hopes the refs let them play physically. Stay healthy, make a few shots, move on to Saturday.

Kansas 87, Texas Southern 69

Lucas Murphy: The Kansas Jayhawks square off against Texas Southern. KU has played tremendous basketball down the stretch and has seen some players step up significantly. Mitch Lightfoot, if healthy, should continue providing quality minutes. Remy Martin has also been a highlight, and if he is clicking, this team will be lethal. I anticipate the Jayhawks winning easily and advancing to the next round.

Kansas 85, Texas Southern 64

Derek Noll: I really think this KU team is motivated so I don’t see much of an issue in this game. Let Ochai and Braun cook, get Dave involved, and get a lead early. I’d love to see more of the bench in this one, especially Remy. Hopefully the Jayhawks can set the tone tonight and keep it going for a few weeks.

Kansas 88, Texas Southern 68.

Andy Mitts: As I mentioned on the podcast, this game is perfect for making sure that players are playing loose and carrying over the momentum from the Big 12 Tournament into the REAL postseason.

Specifically, Christian Braun is a guy that I want to see stay hot. He has put together some huge games without gaudy scoring numbers, but this is the perfect type of game that will allow him to shoot often to try and get hot for the rest of the tournament.

Ultimately, it's hard to see how the Jayhawks win this game by less than 20 or so, and I see Ochai Agbaji posting a big game here to break out of his recent scoring slump, which will be good for him down the line in the tournament.

Kansas 93, Texas Southern 63

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