The Kansas Jayhawks take on the Duke Blue Devils in New York, NY. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Duke is favored by -10.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -600. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Kansas vs. Duke prediction and college basketball picks for November 18, 2025.
Kansas vs Duke Prediction
My Pick: Duke -10.5 (Play to -12)
My Kansas vs Duke best bet is on the Blue Devils to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Kansas vs. Duke Odds
| Kansas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +450 |
| Duke Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -600 |
- Kansas vs Duke spread: Duke -10.5
- Kansas vs Duke over/under: 150.5 points
- Kansas vs Duke moneyline: Kansas +450, Duke -600
Kansas vs Duke College Basketball Betting Preview
Kansas Basketball
If you bought into Kansas this year, you likely bought it for Darryn Peterson. Now with Peterson out once again due to a hamstring injury, the rest of the Jayhawks' roster will have to step up.
In the first games without Peterson, Kansas scored 1.08 PPP and 1.07 PPP in wins over Texas A&M-CC and Princeton.
The guard play was a bit concerning, to say the least. Melvin Council Jr., Elmarko Jackson and Jayden Dawson are incapable of breaking defenses down. Council has yet to hit a 3 this year, Jackson is a non-scorer and Dawson is off to a rough start in general.
Kansas needs big performances from its bigs. Flory Bidunga has enjoyed a breakout year, averaging 17 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. However, Duke has the length to render Bidunga ineffective on the block. He scored 25 points in just 17 minutes against Princeton, but facing Duke is a different beast.
Plus, shooting is a real issue. Three of the five Kansas starters are poor shooters or non-shooters. I already talked about Council, but Bidunga isn't a marksman, and Tre White is around 30% from 3 in his career. That puts a lot of pressure on Bryson Tiller and Kohl Rosario to shoot it well from downtown.
The Jayhawks have a lot of athleticism to help defensively. Kansas sits 11th in defensive efficiency this year, while holding teams to 45% from 2-point range and 25% from deep.
The only issue is that three of their four games came against mid-major opponents. It was a different tune against UNC, which used its versatile bigs to pepper the Jayhawks with pick-and-pops en route to 1.23 PPP.
Duke Basketball
Duke is absolutely demolishing teams so far in 2025-26. The Blue Devils smashed Texas, 75-60, in what'll likely be Cam Boozer's worst game all year, and then they won their next three games (all buy games) by 30+ points.
Just like last year, Duke is dominant on both ends of the floor; it's one of three teams in college hoops that rank top-10 in offensive and defensive efficiency.
I'm not sure how Kansas defends Boozer. The freshman phenom is dominant, flashing the scoring (22.3 PPG), rebounding (10.3 RPG) and playmaking (4.3 APG, a team high) potential.
Boozer's versatility puts teams in a difficult position. They can either defend him one-on-one and live with the consequences, or double him and let him spray to shooters. The Blue Devils have plenty of shooters to complement him in Isaiah Evans, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster and Nik Khamenia.
Ideally, Evans becomes the No. 2 option. He's second in points per game right now, but he can either drop seven or 20+ points on any given night. He's yet to find his consistency, but he'll turn Duke into a powerhouse when he does.
Duke is the fifth-tallest team in the country via average height, and all five of its starters are 6-foot-5 or taller. That helps limit teams from scoring inside, as their opponents are shooting 39% from 2-point range.
With Peterson hurt, Kansas is confined to scoring inside, so that's a worrying omen.
Kansas vs. Duke Betting Analysis
I can't find any reason to back Kansas in this matchup. Duke is the better team with or without Peterson.
For reference, KenPom projects Duke to win 78-72. With no Peterson, I see this game being more lopsided than the projections indicate.
The line opened at 7.5 and progressively jumped to -10.5 in Duke's favor. I'm willing to play this up to -12.
Duke made Texas look hopeless in the half-court offensively, and the current state of the Longhorns and Jayhawks are similar. Neither can shoot, and Duke forced Texas into late-clock situations where it had to do so.
This will be a blowout.
My Pick: Duke -10.5 (Play to -12)
