The 2026 NCAA Tournament features an action-packed Friday slate, even down to a late-night battle between No. 13 California Baptist and No. 4 Kansas. The 9:45 p.m. ET clash sees CBU attempt to upset the Jayhawks in San Diego.
Despite an up-and-down season, Kansas remains dangerous come tournament time. Can Cal Baptist find a way to pull off a thrilling upset in its first time qualifying for the field?
Below, we’ll break down our Cal Baptist vs. Kansas prediction on spread for Friday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Cal Baptist vs. Kansas Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The 2025-26 campaign marks the eighth for Cal Baptist at the Division I level, as head coach Rick Croy has been present for each season in the Western Athletic Conference. The Lancers’ 25 overall wins and 13 conference victories each mark a program record on this stage.
Since getting blown out 65-46 by Utah Valley on February 19, CBU has rattled off six straight wins. That includes avenging the aforementioned loss in the WAC Tournament Championship.
Kansas has rebounded from last year’s 21-13 record to go 23-10 to this point. The Jayhawks were 19-5 at one point, however, and are just 4-8 since then.
A 69-47 crushing loss to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament was the last time Bill Self’s team took the court. Now, KU and star G Darryn Peterson look to start their NCAA tourney on the right footing.
These two hoops teams have never met in their history. That creates an interesting dynamic leading into Friday night.
Cal Baptist vs. Kansas Spread, Over/Under
Cal Baptist enters Friday’s game as 13.5-point underdogs, returning a 7.69x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if it wins outright.
Kansas is a favorite with a 1.08x payout if it wins, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Kansas Jayhawks -13.5 (1.81x payout)
- Over/Under: 138.5 (1.78x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Lancers 7.69x | Jayhawks 1.08x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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Cal Baptist vs. Kansas Prediction on Spread – 3/20/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Cal Baptist vs. Kansas prediction on spread for Friday, March 20 on PrizePicks.
- Entering Friday’s play, Kansas is 14-7 against the spread as a favorite. As an underdog, Cal Baptist is a strong 5-3 ATS.
- Per KenPom, KU owns the No. 21 net rating in the nation at +24.34. CBU finds itself outside the top 100 at 106th (+5.81).
- The Jayhawks’ offense is nothing to write home about, sitting 153rd in scoring at 75.6 PPG and 128th in assists per game with 14.3. With that said, both marks are ahead of the Lancers’ ranks for scoring (73.0 PPG, 224th) and assists (10.3, 354th).
- Getting to the basket could be a challenge for the Lancers. According to CBB Shot Charts, CBU shoots just 53.1% on rim attempts, and KU cedes a low 51.8% mark on those tries.
- Keeping on the trend of scoring inside the arc, per Bart Torvik, Kansas boasts the No. 6 2-point defense (44.7%). California Baptist’s offense is an ugly 317th in 2-point efficiency (47.7%).
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Make Cal Baptist vs. Kansas Picks on PrizePicks
Cal Baptist vs. Kansas picks for Friday night’s game are just one of many ways hoops fans can get in on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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