Tonight brings one of the most anticipated matchups of the season as the No. 1–ranked, 23–0 Arizona Wildcats travel to Allen Fieldhouse to face the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks. Arizona enters as a 1.5-point favorite on FanDuel, while the cheapest tickets on the secondary market are hovering around $206 on SeatGeek, showing just how massive this game is.
As always, the biggest storyline centers around likely No. 1 overall pick Daryn Peterson, widely viewed as the best player in the country. While there have been minor concerns surrounding his availability, reportedly tied to influence from his representation, everything points to Peterson being a full go tonight. If he is, that gives Kansas a clear edge. Any limitation in a spotlight game like this would raise serious questions.
Both teams have been good this season, but Arizona is in a different class. A $100 preseason bet on FanDuel would now be worth $692, compared to just $110 for Kansas.
From a matchup standpoint, both teams operate with similar defensive principles, often forcing opponents into high isolation possessions and mid-range jumpers. Arizona has capable guards in Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries who can exploit that style, but Kansas holds an advantage here with the shot-creation of Peterson and Melvin Council.
The biggest concern for Kansas is dealing with Koa Peat, especially after a smaller but comparable forward, LeJuan Watts of Texas Tech, posted 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists against them in a recent outing.
Ultimately, if Peterson logs 30+ minutes, which feels likely, I expect Kansas to prevail. Allen Fieldhouse remains arguably the best home-court advantage in college basketball, and the combination of Bill Self’s game planning and improved home shooting should be enough to push the Jayhawks over the top. According to Bart Torvik’s data, Kansas’s effective field-goal percentage increases by 5.1% at home, a significant boost in a matchup of this magnitude.
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