Texas basketball vs. Kansas: Prediction and odds college basketball

The day of the regular season finale has arrived for interim head coach Rodney Terry and No. 9 Texas basketball on March 4. Texas will host head coach Bill Self and the red-hot No. 3 ranked Kansas Jayhawks at home at the Moody Center in Austin this weekend to try and round out the regular season slate on a high note.

Terry and the Longhorns will also be looking to avenge their loss on the road last month at Allen Fieldhouse against the Jayhawks. Texas fell short of Kansas the first time these two teams met this season, by the final score of 88-80 on Feb. 6.

Texas comes into this matchup against Kansas with a record of 22-8 (11-6 Big 12) following a 75-73 loss on the road at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth against the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs on March 1. The Longhorns have lost two games in a row and three of its last four heading into the weekend.

Meanwhile, Kansas has won seven straight heading into this finale showdown against the Longhorns. Kansas boasts a record of 25-5 (13-4 Big 12) after a closer-than-expected 67-63 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at home at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence on Feb. 28.

Here’s a look at the betting odds and game prediction as Texas gets set to host Kansas at home at the Moody Center in the regular season finale on March 4, with the tip-off time set for 3 p.m. CT. This game will be televised on ESPN’s flagship network.

Texas basketball vs. Kansas: Betting odds for March 4

Texas is a 3.5-point favorite against Kansas and the over/under is set at 148.5 (per FanDuel).

The moneyline favors Texas (-164) narrowly over Kansas (+136).

According to Kenpom, Texas has a 58 percent chance of beating Kansas. And Kenpom projects Texas to top Kansas 76-74 in this game.

Texas vs. Kansas prediction

For the first time in the last three games, the Longhorns will be the favorite ahead of tip-off. Texas must now follow through on the opportunity to pick up a key win over a top-five ranked opponent at home at the friendly confines of the Moody Center this weekend.

This win obviously won’t come easy, though. Kansas has won seven games in a row and nine of its last 10. Kansas’ top duo of senior forward Jalen Wilson and freshman wing Gradey Dick have continued to stand out in the last 10 games.

The biggest emergence for the Jayhawks in the last few weeks, though, is the play of junior guard DaJuan Harris. In the last four or five weeks, Harris has played some of the best basketball of his collegiate career to date. He’s averaged around a dozen points per game, six assists, three rebounds, and three steals while shooting an impressive 53 percent from the field and 47 percent from deep in the last month.

Harris and fellow Kansas guard Joseph Yesefu shredded the Longhorns the last time that these two teams met this season. Texas’ perimeter defense must be on point to limit what the Jayhawks’ offense can do outside of its primary sources of scoring.

The secondary scorers for the Jayhawks torched Texas’ defense when these two teams met last month.

Moreover, the Longhorns need a big outing from the frontcourt if it wants a shot to nab a win over the Jayhawks to close out the regular season. The senior forward duo of Christian Bishop and Timmy Allen was quiet in the last couple of games. They must come to play this weekend to take advantage of a potential matchup edge that the Longhorns have in the paint.

If Texas is able to top Kansas this weekend, it will be the third straight win at home for the Longhorns over the Jayhawks, dating back to the 2020-21 season. A win would also further solidify Texas’ resume as it looks to lock in a two-seed on Selection Sunday.