Eastern Illinois vs. Kansas Prediction: Will Hunter Dickinson Earn Rebounds in Jayhawks Blowout?
The Kansas Jayhawks will host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Tuesday night, in what is expected to be a nearly 40-point blowout for the home team. Will star center Hunter Dickinson log enough minutes to hit his rebound total? Ben Rajavuori explains the reasoning behind his top prop pick in Eastern Illinois vs. Kansas.
Ben Rajavuori - November 28, 2023, 4:50 PM EST
5 minEastern Illinois vs. Kansas Prediction: Will Hunter Dickinson Earn Rebounds in Jayhawks Blowout?
The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off their biggest win of the season so far, a 9-point win over Tennessee in the Maui Invitational last Wednesday. Six days later, they had back home to Allen Fieldhouse as massive favorites against Eastern Illinois. The 39-point spread in this game is the largest on the slate, and this will be a blowout through and through.
Eastern Illinois vs. Kansas Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: November 28, 2023
- Game Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN+
Eastern Illinois Panthers vs. Kansas Jayhawks Prediction
This is one of those games where Bill Self can play his younger guys and get a feel for their play or give some minutes to the guys that ride the bench all season. Either way, we probably won't see too much of the starters past the second half. That includes Hunter Dickinson.
Hunter Dickinson transferred to Kansas from Michigan this offseason and has continued to be one of the best players in the nation. At 7'2", he can drain threes, ball handle, and is a force in the paint. He has played heavy minutes, unsurprisingly, notching the second-most minutes on the team so far. However, my favorite play in this game for Dickinson is actually the under on his rebounds. Dickinson is set at 12.5 rebounds, a number he has hit twice this season. However, those two games he hit over 12.5 rebounds in were against Kentucky and Tennessee. This game will be nothing like those. Dickinson played 30+ minutes in both of those contests. Tonight, he may not see more than 20 or so.
Kansas has played a few similar games this season, including North Carolina Central in the season opener and Manhattan the game after. Dickinson only played 24 minutes in the opener and 20 against Manhattan. He had eight rebounds in both games.
Dickinson will not play his usual minutes, and asking him to get 13 rebounds to hit this over in a clear blowout is not as easy as it sounds. Also, Eastern Illinois has had turnover issues, so they may not even get that many shots up to get rebound opportunities for Dickinson. Dickinson is an excellent rebounder, but 13 in this style of game feels like a tall task.
Eastern Illinois Panthers vs. Kansas Jayhawks Prop Pick
Pick: Hunter Dickinson Under 12.5 Rebounds (-114) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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