Pennsylvania Quakers vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

Over the past 20 NCAA tournaments, No. 1 seeds actually hold a small edge on No. 16 seeds when it comes to covering spreads, going 42-37-1 ATS. That might bode well for Kansas backers heading into the Jayhawks' NCAA tournament opener against Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas.

March Madness point spread: The Jayhawks opened as 15-point favorites; the total is at 146.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 78.5-68.6, Jayhawks (March Madness picks on every game)

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Why Pennsylvania can cover the spread

The Quakers got off to a 5-4 start this season, punctuated by a 28-point loss to Villanova. But they then won 17 of their next 21 games and finished 12-2 in Ivy League play, tied for first. Penn then knocked off Yale and Harvard to win the Ivy League tournament and claim its first NCAA tournament berth since 2007.

The Quakers shot 46 percent from the floor in that conference championship game against the Crimson, and that was just the second time in their last seven games they failed to shoot at least 50 percent. Penn's also held nine of its last 10 opponents to under 50 percent shooting, helping the Quakers go 6-2 ATS their last eight times out. Penn only lost by double digits twice this season.

Why Kansas can cover the spread

The Jayhawks started 7-0 this season, with wins over NCAA tournament qualifiers Kentucky, South Dakota State, Texas Southern and Syracuse. Kansas then lost consecutive games to Washington and Arizona State but proceeded to go 13-5 to win the Big 12's regular season title again. The Jayhawks then knocked off Oklahoma State, Kansas State and a hot West Virginia team to win the Big 12 tournament. So Kansas is back in the NCAA tournament for the 29th straight season.

Stretching back a month, the Jayhawks are 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS over their last nine games, and on the season they're 18-3 SU and 13-7-1 ATS against teams that made the Dance.

Kansas is also expected to welcome back leading rebounder Udoka Azubuike, who missed the Big 12 tournament nursing a sore knee.

Smart betting pick

Last year No. 1 seeds went 2-2 ATS against No. 16 seeds, but that came against spreads of 25, 22, 23 and 27 points. Those No. 1 seeds won those four games by an average of 29 points, and all four would have covered the spread on this game easily. Throw away the thinking caps; smart money here bets on the Jayhawks.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone over in five of Kansas' last seven games.

Kansas is 4-1 ATS in its last five games after an ATS win.

Pennsylvania is 0-5 SU and 1-4 ATS in its last five games against the Big 12.

All college basketball odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.