NCAA Tournament Pick & Prediction: West Region – Arkansas vs. Kansas – Thursday, March 20, 2025

One opening round matchup of the Men’s Basketball Championship that you do not want to miss will be between the 10th-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) and the seventh-seed Kansas Jayhawks (21-12) on Thursday, March 20 at 7:10 PM ET at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. The Jayhawks are slightly favored with a point spread at -4.5 (-110) at MyBookie.

Arkansas Razorbacks Betting Preview

The Razorbacks came up short in the second round of the SEC Tournament with an 83-80 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels. This defeat snapped their three-game win streak (3-2 over the last five).

Sean Padulla (Rebels) landed a game-winning three with under two seconds remaining to give Ole Miss the lead for good. Arkansas had missed two free throws prior to that, which made it harder to set up for another attempt to win. Jonas Aidoo led with 17 points on 60.0 percent shooting from the field.

John Calipari has coached this team into the 103rd-best offense in the nation, with 76.6 points a game. Their defense has allowed 71.2 points a game, ranking 154th. This does not offer a lot of breathing room in this margin.

The Razorbacks are 36th overall for their strength of schedule and winning margins. Their efficiency per 100 possessions on offense ranks 152nd while their defense at the same rate ranks 81st. While they were not terrible in the SEC, they could have done better to improve their chances at winning a handful of games.

Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview

The Jayhawks have gone 2-3 in their last five matchups, which is not the momentum you want heading into the tournament. They are coming off an 88-77 loss to the Arizona Wildcats in the Big 12 Quarterfinal, snapping a two-game win streak.

Zeke Mayo led with 20 points, while Hunter Dickinson had 19 points and 12 rebounds. In total, three players reached double figures. Kansas made a solid run late, but the Wildcats began controlling the momentum with about four minutes left in the game.

Kansas puts up 76.2 points a game, which ranks 112th in the country. On defense, they allow 69.3 points each battle from opponents. This margin is appealing, but does not offer much room for mistakes.

The Jayhawks are 17th overall based on their strength of schedule and winning point differentials. Per 100 possessions, their efficiency on offense and defense ranks 139th and 50th, respectively.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

The best Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas Jayhawks betting odds have been provided by MyBookie, showing the Jayhawks as 4.5-point favorites. According to market analysis, the Jayhawks have a 71.0 percent chance of winning.

The Razorbacks had a solid season in the SEC, but could have done better. As for the Jayhawks, they fell quickly from grace being one of the top teams in the country to losing early in their conference tournament. Still, the Jayhawks have an edge in size and should be able to cover the spread.

Final Pick: Kansas Jayhawks -4.5 (-115)