North Dakota State + over Kansas

Kansas has lost two of the last three games, both to mediocre teams and the Jayhawks may be one of the more overrated #3 seeds in recent years. Kansas had a great tournament run last year to take the championship but this is a completely different team. The Jayhawks benefited from a weak conference schedule and got its biggest win with Blake Griffin out of the lineup. In non-conference play Kansas was very ordinary and the overall strength of the Big 12 appeared down this year. Kansas was a strong ATS team this season but that will translate into an inflated line in this opening match-up. It might be tough for Kansas to get a high level of energy for this early game and the Metrodome will be filled with North Dakota State fans as the Bison make their first NCAA tournament appearance. North Dakota State plays very tough defense and can be a great scoring team with a veteran lineup that is battle tested. North Dakota State lost by just four at USC and played close at Minnesota this season and in the last two years owns wins over Marquette and Wisconsin so this is a team that can compete with the big boys. The favorable location should help energize a crowd that will pull for the underdog. Prior to last year's great run the Jayhawks have had several early exits from the NCAA tournament and this could be a tough game for Kansas.