Kansas Has Worst Odds in 25 Years as 9.5-Point Underdogs to No. 3 Houston

Kansas is a heavy underdog against No. 3 Houston on Monday night.

The Jayhawks are 9.5-point underdogs against the Cougars, representing their worst odds since March 2000 against Duke (h/t Evan Abrams of Action Network).

Head coach Bill Self's team has dealt with inconsistency as of late, owning a 5-6 record since Jan. 25.

The Jayhawks are also coming off a 78-73 loss to No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday, shooting just 4-of-18 from three-point territory as a team.

Self confirmed that Kansas hasn't been able to meet expectations as of late, but he was still confident that his team will be able to get its season back on track with the NCAA tournament approaching.

"We haven't had the overall year that we had hoped for ourselves, nor the year that many other people have expected, but it hasn't been from a lack of caring," Self said, via CBS Sports' Kyle Boone. "I can do a lot of things better. We all could do a lot of things better. But I'll roll with these guys every day and be proud of it."

"I'm looking forward to seeing how we bounce back against a terrific Houston team on Monday," he added.

Kansas sits at 19-10 on the season.

Houston owns a 25-4 record, as it is currently in the midst of an eight-game winning streak. Head coach Kelvin Sampson's squad has also emerged victorious in 21 of its past 22 contests.

The Cougars' success can be attributed to their stingy defense, ranking No. 1 in the country by allowing just 58 points per game.

The Jayhawks will attempt to overcome the odds at Fertitta Center on Monday night, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET.