Seton Hall Pirates vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

The dual champion of the Big 12 entertains a third-place team from the Big East when Kansas and Seton Hall meet in an NCAA tournament round-of-32 bout Saturday evening in Wichita, Kansas. The Jayhawks are favored by a handful on the betting line, but are they ripe for an upset?   

March Madness point spread: The Jayhawks opened as 4.5-point favorites; the total is at 154.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 76.0-75.8, Pirates (March Madness picks on every game)

Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.

Why Seton Hall can cover the spread

The No. 8 Pirates reached this round by outlasting North Carolina State on Thursday, 94-83. Seton Hall hit six of its first seven shots on its way toward 51 first-half points and held on from there for both the victory and the cover as a three-point favorite.

The Pirates shot 48 percent from the floor, made 31 of 39 free throws, won the rebounding battle 40-34 and turned the ball over just seven times.

Seton Hall is now 5-2 straight up and 6-1 against the spread over its last seven games, with wins over Providence and Butler and one-point losses to Villanova and Butler. The Pirates are also 7-7 SU and 9-5 ATS against teams that made the NCAA tournament this season.

Why Kansas can cover the spread

The top-seeded Jayhawks reached Saturday's action with a 76-60 victory over Pennsylvania on Thursday. Kansas actually trailed the Quakers by 10 points midway through the first half but used a 19-2 run to take the lead for good. The Jayhawks later ended the game with a 24-12 run and covered as 14-point favorites.

Kansas hit seven of 17 shots from three-point land, made 15 of 17 free throws, outrebounded Penn 41-33 and turned the ball over just eight times.

The Jayhawks are now 9-1 SU and 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games, with seven wins over teams that made the NCAA tournament. They're also 19-3 SU and 14-7-1 ATS on the season against teams that made the Big Dance.

Kansas center Udoka Azubuike, who leads the team in rebounding at seven per game, has missed recent action with a sore knee and only played three minutes Thursday. But it's hoped he'll be ready for more action Saturday.

Smart betting pick

The Jayhawks shoot the ball a little better than Seton Hall, and they play a little better defense. If they make their free throws down the stretch, they should win this game and cover this spread.

March Madness betting trends

Kansas is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games as a favorite of 4.5 points or less.

Seton Hall is 6-2 SU and 7-1 ATS in its last eight games as an underdog of 4.5 points or less.

The total has gone over in nine of Seton Hall's last 11 games.

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.