NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Preview for Sunday, March 27

Miami vs. Kansas Odds

The Kansas Jayhawks are the last seeded No. 1 remaining in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Head coach Bill Self’s team has become the favorite to win the national title in several sportsbooks.

But we can’t just do that I assume That ks will roll into the title. First, coach Jim Laranaga and the Miami hurricanes must get past.

Admittedly, Miami didn’t have the toughest path to reach the Elite 8. After a close match against USC, Miami overtook Auburn and then crushed the pathetic Iowa State team.

So, does this mean that Kansas is more of a test case for battle? Or is Miami more talented than the top 10 suggests?

At the time of writing, Miami has a score of six or more across the betting market with a total fixed at 147.5.

Cam McGusty is sure of something.

He’s a true three-tier scorer shooting 70% on edge, 43% from midrange, and 35% of 3. McGustee is also very solid with basketball, causing a lot of fouls and turning 81% of his free throw attempts.

But it’s not just McGeety; The entire Miami Hurricanes take care of the ball. Stick ranks 6th in offensive spin and 7th in non-stealing spin – you always get a chance.

Usually that shot goes in as well. The stick ranks 30th nationally in effective field goal percentage (53.8%) and top 25 in shooting with two points (55%). The latter is especially important, because nearly all of Miami’s shots come from inside the arc.

However, defending against hurricanes is problematic:

1. Miami does not excel in the shooting competition, enabling opponents to average 52.5% in effective field goal percentage (283rd place in Division I).
2. Hurricanes also allow the majority of the opponent’s shooting attempts either at the edge or from the 3-point line, resulting in a defensive 3-edge and 3 average of 83% (ranked 290 in Division One).
3. Miami also rebounded poorly on both ends of the field, ranking 319 in offensive rebounding rate and 271 in defensive rebounding rate.

So, Canes scores a lot of points… and allows a lot of points.

image credit: Central Bank of Bahrain Analytics

However, Miami’s defense is not without its strength either. For example, it creates a lot of turnover – ranked 10th nationally in defensive robbery rate.

Hurricanes’ ability to avoid rollovers offensively and create defensive shifts enabled them to lead the ACC into a turnover margin (+4.66). For perspective, North Carolina ranked second in the conference with a paltry +2.66.

Miami defends hard and takes advantage of thefts in order to come up with a transition—something The Canes do at the top 80 nationally.

The transfer is extremely important because Miami is the most efficient transition team in the country, scoring 1.22 PPP on the open field. Kansas State not only allows many transition shots, but it also has average efficiency when defending against it.

Miami’s other offensive option is mid-range shooting, which Kansas is very good at defending. Therefore, Larrañaga & Associates. It is better to find ways to operate the floor.

Kansas truly is an elite basketball team – but not for the reasons you might expect.

People look at KS and see offensive strength: a team that ranks sixth in offensive proficiency with Ochai Agbaji on the periphery and David McCormack on the inside.

It’s interesting, however, that KS does not manage many offensive combinations well. Jayhawks are below 200 in pick-and-roll efficiency, off-screen efficiency, cutting efficiency, and insulation efficiency.

But KS has photo makers, and these shot makers take smart shots. for every the qualityJayhawks are 26th nationally in shooting selection and fifth in SQ PPP attack (1.27).

Kansas is an effective deployment, 3 effective shooting, and Agbaji, Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson and Remy Martin are aggressive killers. Hawks attack the edge, and there is hardly an area on the ground that these people cannot find points:

image credit: Central Bank of Bahrain Analytics

KS also smashed the attacking glass behind McCormack, one of the few players who could keep up with Oscar Chiboy on the offensive glass. Additionally, the Jayhawks placed third in the Big 12 in transition efficiency.

Also the defense is excellent…but not really against the ball screen groups. Instead, the team plays with analytical intelligence, getting everyone out of the three-point line. The Falcons allow a minimum average of 56 out of 3 points for opponents while overriding the Big 12 in defense of 3 pickups, shootings and dribbling.

The Jayhawks are talented, but play smart, which I find most important.

I’m excited to see if Remy Martin can keep up with this intense pace. Injuries have hampered him this season, but he has now scored in double figures in five consecutive games. During the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament, Martin scored and earned 58 total points kenbaum MVP honors in all three games.

Of all the bullet makers on this list, it may be the deadliest.

Miami vs. KS Bet Pick

Kansas Miami can run outside the three-point streak, but Miami doesn’t shoot from 3.

Instead, Kansas will force Miami into the mid-range, where it will have a defensive success. But the Jayhawks might be weak on the inside otherwise.

Miami ranked first in the ACC for frequency of shots on the edge and second in efficiency in those shots. In the Big 12, KS allowed more than 40% of opposing shots across finishes on the edge and finished eighth in defending those shots.

Furthermore, KS is not immune to offensive shifts. The Jayhawks have been under 110 nationally in offensive turnover this season, so Miami can find transitional opportunities there.

I think that line slightly underestimates Miami. The Hurricanes have the staff and playstyle to keep up with KS in their tournament preparation.

Miami won 8-2 ATS as an underdog this season. I’ll take it to cover again. There is a stray +6.5 in the market, but I would buy Miami at +6 or better.

picking Miami +6.5 (play to +6)