Columbia vs Kansas Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for April 1 Women's NIT Championship (Expect Fireworks)

Columbia vs Kansas Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Women's NIT Championship Game
• Columbia Lions (28-5, 14-2 Away) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (24-11, 18-3 Home)
• Date: Saturday, April 1, 2023
• Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Allen Fieldhouse -- Lawrence, Kansas
• Coverage: CBSSN

Saturday, April 1's NCAA college basketball schedule features the women's NIT Championship Game between the Columbia Lions and Kansas Jayhawks.

Columbia advanced to the finals with a 77-70 win over Bowling Green, highlighted by Abbey Hsu's game-high 21 points. Meanwhile, Kansas is coming off a defensive clinic on Wednesday that saw it pick up a 61-36 victory against Washington.

Which team has what it takes to win the women's NIT this evening?

Columbia vs Kansas Odds & Spread

• All women's college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: COL: (+194) | KU: (-245)
• Spread: COL: +5.5 (-110) | KU: -5.5 (-110)
• Total: 142.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Kansas enters this contest as a clear favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 5:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 142.5 points with both sides being available at -110 odds.

Columbia vs Kansas Prediction & Pick

It's tough to understate just how good Kansas' defensive play is. The Jayhawks are only giving up a 56.0 PPG clip over their previous seven outings and have held three of their last four opponents to 55 or fewer points. For comparison, Columbia is allowing 74.0 PPG over its last four outings alone.

And even though the Lions have scored 77-plus points in four straight contests, the Jayhawks are capable of scoring when needed. They've finished with at least 75 points in five of their last eight outings and will have the home-court advantage to give them a needed boost.

In what should be a good matchup between two strong teams, Kansas' defensive edge will produce a championship victory.

Final Score Prediction: Kansas: 78 | Columbia: 74

Columbia vs Kansas Best Bet

For tonight's best bet, I'm going with the total going over 142.5 points. Teams tend to step up when championships are on the line and Columbia knows that the only way it can win is to outgun Kansas early on. If this winds up being the case, the Jayhawks may have to put their strong defensive play on the backburner in favor of a more offense-friendly approach.

At the end of the day, a 142.5-point total isn't too much for two talented programs to surpass.

Bet: Over 142.5 Points (-110)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.