The Kansas Jayhawks and the UCF Knights continue Big 12 Conference men’s basketball action on Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, in Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. central on ESPN and ESPN+. Kansas (20-11, 11-9 in Big 12) is unranked, while UCF (17-15) is also unranked.
Wednesday’s game between Kansas and UCF wraps up the evening session of second-round games in the Big 12 Tournament, where the winner will continue to play again on Thursday in the quarterfinals. The loser heads home.
UCF enters the second round coming off an 87-72 win over Utah on Tuesday night. Kansas is playing its first game of the tournament after a first-round bye.
Here is a preview of the game.
How to Watch Kansas vs. UCF
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 12, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN
Site: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas vs. UCF Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Kansas (-9.5)
Current Line: Kansas (-10.5)
Over/Under: 153.5
Kansas vs. UCF Predictions
Kansas isn’t used to this, and not just because it’s a 16-team tournament and it will need four wins to claim the title. That’s a new paradigm for many of the holdover teams. But the Jayhawks aren’t the favorite in this tournament. Last year’s team, in my opinion, more highly regarded coming into Kansas City than this year’s.
The Jayhawks have been inconsistent all season, and that has been their undoing. When they’re winning, it usually means center Hunter Dickinson and guard Zeke Mayo are having big games. If both get rolling in KC, the Jayhawks could be around a while.
Forward KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. are the glue guys who have been around forever and can produce. But, beyond those four it’s hard to know who to count on from game to game.
The Knights put it all together against Utah, with four players in double figures, led by Keyshawn Hall’s 23 points. It was the sixth game in Big 12 play in which the Knights fell behind by double digits at some point and won the game. They’re resilient, if nothing else.
Hall’s beastly game came with a 17-point second half and a chip on his shoulder after he was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team after the league expanded the First Team to 10 players for the first time. He had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Look — Kansas probably wins this game, but don’t expect it to be easy. The Knights beat the Jayhawks in Orlando last year and nearly got them again in Orlando this year. In Lawrence, Kansas pounded UCF. It’ll be Lawrence East on Thursday night. The Jayhawks win but not going away.
Kansas 81, UCF 71
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Kansas (82.4% Chance to Win)
Odds Shark: Kansas 78.5, UCF 75.7
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
