Purdue Boilermakers vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

College basketball oddsmakers seem to have the Purdue Boilermakers pegged, considering they've lost the last seven times they have gone off as underdogs. Purdue is listed as an underdog again for its Midwest Regional semifinal showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks on Thursday night in Kansas City.

Point spread: The Jayhawks opened as 4.5-point favorites; the total is at 156, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 80.7-68.7 Jayhawks (College basketball picks on every game)

Why Purdue can cover the spread

The Big Ten regular-season champs opened this tournament with an 80-70 victory over Vermont last Thursday and outlasted Iowa State on Saturday 80-76. So Purdue is back playing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010.

The Boilermakers rode a hot first half Saturday to a 13-point lead, pushed that to 19 early in the second half, actually fell behind the Cyclones by a point with four minutes to go, but recovered to retake the lead and hung on in the final minute.

On the evening Purdue shot 48 percent from the field and outrebounded Iowa State 38-28.

The Boilermakers are now 10-2 straight up and 7-3-2 against the spread over their last 12 games, and both outright losses during that span came against perhaps the hottest team in the country right now in Michigan.

Why Kansas can cover the spread

The Big 12 regular-season champs began this NCAA tournament with a 100-62 blowout of UC Davis last Friday and dispatched Michigan State on Sunday 90-70. So Kansas is back playing on the second weekend of the Big Dance for the second season in a row.

KU toyed with the Spartans on Sunday, leading basically the entire game, but only by six points with about seven minutes to go. The Jayhawks, currently the odds-on favorites to win the NCAA tournament at online gambling sites, pulled away with a 19-5 run and covered at minus-8.

Kansas shot 53 percent from the floor Sunday, the sixth time in the last seven games it's shot at least 50 percent. The Jayhawks also hit eight of 20 shots from trifecta land, made 14 of 15 free throws, out-rebounded Michigan State 36-26 and only turned the ball over six times.

Kansas is now 10-1 over its last 11 games, including 6-4-1 ATS.

Smart betting pick

The line on this game seems inflated slightly by the word Kansas, the venue and possibly a bit of an anti-Big Ten bias. The Jayhawks are 12-2 SU and 7-6-1 ATS against teams that made the NCAA tournament this season, while Purdue is 9-5 SU and 8-5-1 ATS against the same. Despite Purdue's underdog trend, the smart money here on the Vegas lines is on the Boilermakers.

March Madness betting trends

Kansas is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games.

The total has gone under in 16 of Kansas' last 18 games as a favorite of 4.5 points or less.

Purdue is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against the Big 12.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.