Kansas Jayhawks vs. Eastern Washington Eagles Betting Preview

The Kansas Jayhawks will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles in a First Round matchup in the West Region on Saturday. Kansas is the number three ranked team in the West, while Eastern Washington is the number 14 seed.

Kansas had won three straight games heading into the Big 12 Conference Tournament, but they were forced to withdraw from that event due to COVID-19. The Jayhawks finished the regular season with a record of 20-8, but they were peaking at the right time.

Eastern Washington closed out the year by winning four straight games, including a few upsets to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Eagles went 16-7 during the regular season and gave some Pac-12 opponents a good challenge early in the year.

The winner of this game will advance to take on the USC-Wichita State/Drake winner. Kansas is a 10.5-point favorite over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Eagles Want to Score

Eastern Washington is going to try to win this game with their offense, and they have the potential to be explosive. The Eagles are averaging 78 points per game, and they are shooting close to 36 percent from behind the arc.

Forward Tanner Groves leads the team with 16.4 points per game, but there are four other players averaging at least 10 points per game. Eastern Washington wants to play fast, especially since Kansas could be without some players.

Getting stops on defense could be a challenge for this team, as they have struggled against some of the better teams on their schedule. Look for Eastern Washington to try and turn this into a track meet.

Will Kansas Have Enough Depth?

Kansas was not the deepest team in the Big 12 Conference this season, and they could be without as many as three players due to COVID-19. Jalen Wilson has already been ruled out, and that is a huge blow to this team.

Kansas has scored just 73 points per game this season, and they are a team that struggles from the three-point line. If the Jayhawks aren’t able to dominate this game inside, then it could be a long day.

The Jayhawks have been a great defensive team, holding opponents to just 65 points per game. Head coach Bill Self will have his team ready to defend on Saturday.

Jayhawks Just Barely Escape

A fully healthy Kansas team would have little trouble with Eastern Washington, but that won’t be the case on Saturday. The Jayhawks will be missing a few players, and this has not been a dominant Kansas team like we have seen in years past.

Eastern Washington is an underdog in this matchup for a reason, but they come into this tournament with a ton of momentum. The Eagles can really score, and a hot-shooting day could propel them to an upset win.

Kansas will be able to use their defense to take control of this game in the second half, but it’s not going to be easy. Eastern Washington will give them a battle until the final buzzer sounds, but Kansas will find a way to escape with a win.

Take the Eastern Washington Eagles +10.5, but it will be Kansas that advances to the second round.

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