Who's Playing

Howard @ Kansas

Regular Season Records: Howard 22-12; Kansas 27-7

What to Know

The Howard Bison and the #4 Kansas Jayhawks are set to clash at 2 p.m. ET March 16 at Wells Fargo Arena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bison will be strutting in after a victory while Kansas will be stumbling in from a defeat.

Howard earned some more postseason success in their contest on Saturday. They escaped with a win against the Norfolk State Spartans by the margin of a single free throw, 65-64. Howard's guard Jelani Williams filled up the stat sheet, picking up 20 points along with six boards. Williams had some trouble finding his footing against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks last week, so this was a step in the right direction. Williams' points were the most he has had all season.

Meanwhile, Kansas suffered a grim 76-56 defeat to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. Guard Gradey Dick wasn't much of a difference maker for Kansas; Dick played for 30 minutes but put up just six points on 3-for-11 shooting.

The Bison are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. They are currently four-for-four against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

A couple stats to keep an eye on: Howard has allowed their opponents an average of 8.7 steals per game, the 360th most in college basketball. To make matters even worse for Howard, Kansas comes into the game boasting the 19th most steals per game in college basketball at 8.8. In other words, Howard will need to work extra hard to take care of the ball.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 2 p.m. ET
  • Where: Wells Fargo Arena -- Des Moines, Iowa
  • TV: TBS
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $24.00

Odds

The Jayhawks are a big 22-point favorite against the Bison, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Jayhawks as a 23-point favorite.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last eight years.