Check out our free Kansas City vs Denver pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Denver. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Kansas City vs Denver Pick & Preview: Thursday, December 29th Betting Odds
Roos vs Pioneers Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Kansas City Roos at Denver Pioneers
- Where: Denver at Hamilton Gymnasium
- Date: Thursday, December 29th
- Betting Odds: Kansas City +3, UMKC +131 | DEN -159 O/U 135.5
Roos Preview:
The Kansas City Roos head into today’s game in what will be their 15th game of the season, posting a record of 5-9. On the road, the Roos will be playing their 7th game of the season, having gone 1-6. So far, the Roos have been the underdog 9 times, going 3-6 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +3 underdogs on the spread.
Kansas City will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer RayQuawndis Mitchell who is averaging 17.5 points per game for the Roos. Mitchell is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Roos’ offensive gameplan is the play of Shemarri Allen who has hit 43.0% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 15.79 points per game.
On offense, Kansas City comes into the game looking to control the pace of play, as they are just 162nd in possessions per game. Even with their preference to slow the game down, the Roos’ are scoring at a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.5 points per game. So far, 36.16% of their shots have come from beyond the arc, where they have connected at a rate of 37.5%.
Pioneers Preview:
Denver will take the floor against the Roos with an overall record of 9-5. Currently, the Pioneers have been the home team 5 times, sitting with a record of 4-1. The Pioneers’ are sitting with a betting line that is -3 points in their favor. For the season, Denver has been favored to win in 8 games, sitting with a mark of 6-2.
Denver will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Tommy Bruner who is averaging 15.29 points per game for the Pioneers. Bruner is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Pioneers’ offensive gameplan is the play of Justin Mullins who has hit 58.9% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.07 points per game.
Coming into today’s game, Denver will be looking from some improved play from their offense. Currently, the Pioneers are ranked 223rd at 70.5 points per game. A major reason for their low scoring mumbers is the fact that they tend to work the clock on offense. This year, they are the 407th ranked team in terms of pace. When looking at their 3-point shooting numbers, Denver is close to the NCAA average at 36.8%.
Free Spread Prediction: Denver Pioneers -3
Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the Denver Pioneers to pick up the win and cover the spread as -3 point betting favorites. Although Denver as a team is just 91st in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Roos’ defense. In addition, the Pioneers have made bettors money who have taken them to cover at home, as they are 7-3 (last 10). At -3 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Pioneers to come out on top and cover.
