8* UMKC (8:00 ET): The Roos proved to be a “bad take” the last time I had them (Monday vs. Denver) vs. they quickly bounced back with an 80-77 win over North Dakota State on Thursday. That win came as a two-point home underdog as they put together an excellent second half, rallying from a seven-point deficit at the break. I don’t know what happened on Monday when they lost outright to Denver, a team that had lost 10 in a row on the road, 63-55 as an 8.5-point favorite. This should be UMKC’s best performance in awhile.

They host North Dakota, a team that also surprised me this week when it hung with Summit League power Oral Roberts. The line was +20.5 for the Fighting Hawks and they easily covered, only losing the game by a four-point margin. But it was still their seventh loss in a row and 10th in the last 11 games. North Dakota’s only win since November came against a non-board team. They are 4-15 SU overall and two of those wins came in the first three games of the season.

The Fighting Hawks are 0-9 SU in “true” road games, losing by an average of 18.4 PPG. Going back further, they are 10-29 ATS L39 road games. As an underdog, they are 5-11 ATS and losing by an average of 13.1 PPG. I really see them struggling to keep up with Kansas City here, especially with them allowing 50% shooting in conference play. UMKC is holding teams to 38.1% shooting here at home. My power rankings say this line should be much higher and I won’t disagree! 8* UMKC