CBB Matchups

Every D1 game with tempo-free ratings, four factors and market lines, one place.

College basketball is being built for the 2026-27 season (tip-off Nov 3). What's here fills in as games are played.
Non-conferenceAllen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
Northern Iowa
Efficiency #64
2025-26: 23-13 · 15-9 conf
@
Kansas
Efficiency #25
2025-26: 24-11 · 13-7 conf
Tue, Dec 1 · TBD
62.5
win 25%
Projected
70.4
win 75%
No line posted yet.
Model: KU −7.9 · total 132.9 · ratings as of Sat, Oct 3
Preseason ratings start from 2025-26's final adjusted ratings, regressed toward the D1 average. The stats below are 2025-26's too; both update once 2026-27 games are played.

How the projection is built

each step, from an average D-I game to this one
Projected total
Average D-I game
148.2
PaceAdjusted tempo: Kansas 68.5, Northern Iowa 64.9 → 65.0 possessions
−7.2
Kansas offense vs Northern Iowa defense
−2.0
Northern Iowa offense vs Kansas defense
−6.2
Projected total
132.9
Axis starts at 120 pointsPoints added or removed at each step
Projected margin
Even game
0.0
Kansas offense vs Northern Iowa defense
−2.0
Northern Iowa offense vs Kansas defense
+6.2
Home court+2.9 points per 100 possessions to the home offense, −2.9 to the visitors
+3.7
Kansas by 7.9
7.9
Northern Iowa side ◂▸ Kansas side

Steps are rounded to one decimal, so they can differ from the total by 0.1: the total steps add to 132.8 against a projected 132.9. The margin is the same build seen from the home side; positive numbers help Kansas.

Pace & total

possessions per 40 minutes
Tempo, possessions per 40 minutes

Projected possessions: 65.0, from each team's opponent-adjusted tempo. On raw 2025-26 season pace, Kansas is the faster team (68.3, #181 of 365) and Northern Iowa the slower (63.4, #362). When tempos clash, the slower team usually pulls the pace harder (study weights 0.80 vs 0.66).

Projected possessions
65.0
per team, 40 min
Projected total
132.9
model
Projected team totals
62.5 / 70.4
Northern Iowa / Kansas
Adjusted tempo, vs an average opponent
64.9#365
Northern Iowa
68.5#170
Kansas

How this game plays

what the study found each side's numbers actually do when these two teams meet
AdvantageNorthern Iowa
Where Northern Iowa scores: ball control
Northern Iowa turns it over on 14.4% of possessions (#41); Kansas forces turnovers on 13.8% of opponent possessions (#339). Expect about 13.6%, 3.2 points below an average D1 matchup — worth roughly +3.9 points per 100 possessions.
Pace
Tempo tug-of-war
Kansas averages 68.3 possessions per 40, Northern Iowa 63.4. Slower teams pull the pace toward themselves more than fast teams push it (0.80 vs 0.66 in five seasons of games), so expect about 64 — more possessions mean more points in the total and more chances for the better team to separate.
GlassNorthern Iowa
Northern Iowa gets out-rebounded
Projected offensive rebound rate of 24.1% is worth roughly -3.8 points per 100 possessions against Northern Iowa's offense.
DefenseKansas
Kansas's shot-blocking
Kansas ranks #6 nationally in block rate — one of the few defensive numbers that travels. Expect about 13.2% of Northern Iowa's two-point attempts to get blocked against this defense.
AdvantageKansas
Where Kansas struggles: shooting
Kansas shoots an effective 51.2% (#186); Northern Iowa allows 47.5% (#31). Expect about 49.3%, 2.0 points below an average D1 matchup — worth roughly -2.8 points per 100 possessions.
ClashNorthern Iowa
Strength vs strength: 2-point shooting
Northern Iowa (#59 in 2-point shooting) against Kansas (#4 in the same stat allowed) — both rank inside the national top 60. Expect about 49.7%. Historically Northern Iowa's own number has carried a bit more weight in that exchange (0.61 vs 0.55).
Northern Iowa has the ball
OffenseKansas allowsvs D1 avg
53.8% #73
45.0% #2
-2.5 pt/100
14.4% #41
13.8% #339
+3.9 pt/100
21.8% #357
29.9% #152
-3.8 pt/100
25.6% #362
27.4% #26
-1.1 pt/100
69.2% #294
—
-0.3 pt/100
Northern Iowa net across the four factors + FT%, vs. a D1-average matchup: -3.8 pts/100
Kansas has the ball
OffenseNorthern Iowa allowsvs D1 avg
51.2% #186
47.5% #31
-2.8 pt/100
15.6% #109
18.0% #96
-0.1 pt/100
29.2% #227
26.5% #24
-1.6 pt/100
32.2% #255
29.6% #53
-0.6 pt/100
76.7% #37
—
+0.4 pt/100
Kansas net across the four factors + FT%, vs. a D1-average matchup: -4.8 pts/100

Shot diet

Where each offense shoots from and where each defense lets teams shoot · 2025-26 numbers
Northern Iowaoffense vsKansasdefense
Share of shots by zone
Northern Iowa shoots
Kansas allows
D-I average
FG% by zone
ZoneD-I avg
Rim61.1%#9051.3%#1058.6%
Short 2 (≤9 ft)43.9%#8237.6%#12739.5%
Mid 2 (10 ft+)42.5%#4431.9%#1638.0%
Three34.7%#13630.6%#2433.7%
Kansasoffense vsNorthern Iowadefense
Share of shots by zone
Kansas shoots
Northern Iowa allows
D-I average
FG% by zone
ZoneD-I avg
Rim63.0%#5156.5%#9958.6%
Short 2 (≤9 ft)35.3%#28343.4%#25739.5%
Mid 2 (10 ft+)36.2%#25938.1%#16438.0%
Three34.6%#13929.1%#333.7%
RimShort 2 (≤9 ft)Mid 2 (10 ft+)Three

Zones from play-by-play shot descriptions; garbage time removed. Bars show the share of field-goal attempts in each zone; where a slice is too thin for its number, the shares are listed under the bar. FG% ranks: #1 = best for that side (most accurate shooting, stingiest defense).

Shot volume

Extra scoring chances from rebounds, turnovers and the foul line · 2025-26 numbers
Northern Iowa
0.0extra scoring chances per game vs a D-I average team#179 of 365
Off reb %
21.8%
#357
Def reb %
73.5%
#24
Turnover %
14.4%
#41
Forced TO %
18.0%
#96
FT rate
25.6%
#362
FT allowed
29.6%
#53
Where the chances come from (per game)
Offensive rebounding−2.8
Defensive rebounding+1.3
Ball security+1.6
Forcing turnovers+0.9
Foul shots drawn−2.4
Foul shots allowed+1.4
Kansas
0.0extra scoring chances per game vs a D-I average team#180 of 365
Off reb %
29.2%
#227
Def reb %
70.1%
#152
Turnover %
15.6%
#109
Forced TO %
13.8%
#339
FT rate
32.2%
#255
FT allowed
27.4%
#26
Where the chances come from (per game)
Offensive rebounding−0.4
Defensive rebounding+0.2
Ball security+0.8
Forcing turnovers−2.0
Foul shots drawn−0.7
Foul shots allowed+2.0

Both teams carry the same grade, 0.0 extra scoring chances per game.

Grade = extra shots and foul-line trips per game compared with a D-I average team, built from six season rates. Cell shading is the national rank for each rate (greener = better for that team).

Rotation

Northern Iowa2025-26 numbers
#PlayerPosClHtGP-GSMPGPPGRPGAPGTOVeFG%3P%3PA/gFT%UsageStatus
35Leon Bond IIIFJr6'5"36-3632.811.94.71.51.153.9%36.2%3.575.0%22.5%
7Ben SchwiegerFSr6'8"36-2127.89.74.71.91.154.8%37.2%2.668.4%21.9%
13Will HornsethFSo6'8"35-3526.311.14.62.21.560.9%44.4%0.352.7%25.8%
3Max WeisbrodGSr6'4"32-2927.86.42.51.90.955.4%38.3%4.784.0%14.6%
14Tristan SmithFSr6'6"28-2121.29.15.11.91.155.1%27.3%0.467.8%26.5%
22Kyle PockFJr6'6"34-112.73.71.00.20.152.3%34.5%2.575.0%17.4%
11Ismael DioufFSr6'9"35-110.53.01.21.00.850.0%25.5%1.363.6%22.2%
10RJ TaylorGJr5'11"30-011.02.61.01.10.355.2%37.5%1.1100.0%14.9%
2Geon HutchinsGFr6'4"35-07.51.51.20.20.344.0%30.8%0.757.1%16.0%
20Chase CourbatFSr6'10"14-03.61.10.60.10.162.5%—0.0100.0%13.8%
30Hunter JacobsonGJr6'1"11-01.60.30.10.00.025.0%20.0%0.5—21.2%
15Cade CourbatGFr6'8"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
24Jalen WilsonFFr6'8"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
9Levi ValdoGFr6'4"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
31Marino DubravcicFSo6'10"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
0Redek BornGSo6'3"0-00.00.00.00.00.0——0.0——
Rosters come from ESPN and are still filling in; incoming transfers and freshmen may be missing.

Tale of the tape

national rank toned left for away, right for home
Northern IowaKansas
Efficiency
108.6
112.9
101.0
98.9
64.9
68.5
—
—
Shooting
53.8%
51.2%
54.9%
50.9%
34.7%
34.6%
69.2%
76.7%
25.6%
32.2%
Ball control & glass
14.4%
15.6%
18.0%
13.8%
21.8%
29.2%
26.5%
29.9%
8.8%
9.5%
8.3%
8.1%
Style
39.1%
35.2%
47.2%
44.7%
8.9%
13.8%
56.6%
52.3%
27.0%
25.2%
Roster
3.24
2.04
6'5.9"
6'4.9"
83.4%
28.8%

Offseason

roster movement into this season — descriptive, not a model input
Northern Iowa
Returning minutes: 83.4%Returning production: 81.2%
Lost
  • Trey Campbell 33.5 mpg, 13.7 ppg · not on a D1 roster yet
Added
  • Levi Valdo no D1 minutes last season
  • Marino Dubravcic no D1 minutes last season
  • Redek Born no D1 minutes last season
  • Jalen Wilson no D1 minutes last season
  • Cade Courbat no D1 minutes last season

No incoming D1 transfers are listed on ESPN's roster yet — until they are, returning shares read high.

Returns 83% of last season's minutes; lost 1 of its top 5. Teams returning at least 65% of last season's minutes have historically gained about 2.2 points of AdjEM (n=156 team-seasons, 2022-2026).

Kansas
Returning minutes: 28.8%Returning production: 18.1%
Lost
  • Melvin Council Jr. 34.8 mpg, 12.7 ppg · not on a D1 roster yet
  • Flory Bidunga 31.6 mpg, 13.3 ppg · transferred to Louisville
  • Tre White 31.3 mpg, 13.5 ppg · not on a D1 roster yet
  • Bryson Tiller 25.9 mpg, 7.9 ppg · transferred to Missouri
  • Darryn Peterson 19.9 mpg, 13.8 ppg · not on a D1 roster yet
Added
  • Corbin Allen no D1 minutes last season

No incoming D1 transfers are listed on ESPN's roster yet — until they are, returning shares read high.

Returns 29% of last season's minutes; lost 5 of its top 5 (2 transferred). Teams returning under 40% of last season's minutes have historically fallen about 0.8 points of AdjEM (n=716 team-seasons, 2022-2026).

Head-to-head

this season and last
No meetings the last two seasons.

The CBB Matchups tab lays out the day's Division I slate: matchup, tip time, records and rank, and — once posted — Pinnacle's spread and total (the median across books when Pinnacle has no line). Three views switch the table between projected scores, pace and totals, and each team's offensive and defensive tendencies. Each game opens into opponent-adjusted possessions, efficiency and four-factor tendencies for both teams, plus recent form, rotation and head-to-head history. Every game also carries our projected score, spread and total, built bottom-up from those same numbers: expected possessions times each side's opponent-adjusted points per possession, plus home court.

What these numbers mean: line shopping.