The 19th-ranked offense of the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (14-1) travel to West Virginia to play the 21st-ranked defense of the No. 11-ranked Mountaineers (14-1). Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Mountaineers come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Oklahoma State 77-60 on Saturday. Jonathan Holton had 15 points, nine rebounds, and three assists for West Virginia. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-59 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. Frank Mason III had a good performance, accounting for 17 points and 10 rebounds to claim his first double-double of the season.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-powered offense of West Virginia (19th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 117.4) takes on the top-notch defense of Kansas (21st in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 92.5). Also, the Jayhawks’s 10th-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 120.4) will face off against the fourth-ranked defense of the Mountaineers (defensive efficiency of 87.6).
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 154 points. The Mountaineers come into this game 14-1 Straight Up (SU) and 7-5 Against The Spread (ATS). West Virginia has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 19 made free throws per game, which is 25th-best in Division I. Crossing over to the defensive end of the court, the Mountaineers prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking first in the nation with 62 total three-pointers allowed (4.0 per game). West Virginia’s defenders lead Division I in steals with 11.3 per game.
On the other side, Kansas has a SU record of 14-1 and an ATS record of 10-3. Most recently, Kansas is 6-2 ATS over the last 10 games. The Jayhawks convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking eighth in the country at .501. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Jayhawks. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.57. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Jayhawks are one of the best in the nation with an average of 8.2 steals per game. Kansas may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Mountaineers averaging 24.5 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
West Virginia and Kansas will be facing off in their first head-to-head contest of the season. When they last met the Jayhawks were winners, bringing their SU record in their most recent games to 4-2. However, West Virginia leads the matchup ATS with a record of 4-2. West Virginia held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Kansas never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU, O/U – Over
Notes
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
West Virginia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Kansas.
West Virginia is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 86.0 points per game (ranked sixth). Kansas allows 67.3 points per game (ranked 95th).
Kansas has allowed an average of 68.0 points per away game this season. West Virginia averages 91.9 points per home game, ranking fifth in scoring.
The West Virginia Mountaineers rank 19th for their offensive rating of 117.4. The Kansas Jayhawks have a defensive rating of 92.5 (ranked 21st).
Kansas beats West Virginia in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Jayhawks average 73.4 possessions and 1.204 points per possession, while the Mountaineers average 73.2 possessions with 1.174 points per possession.
Kansas has the 10th-ranked average effective field goal percentage in the nation at 57.3%. West Virginia is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Kansas ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 16th (18.1 assists per game). West Virginia is ranked 27th with 17.1 assists per game.
Kansas, the 88th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.3 per game. West Virginia does worse, ranked 272nd with 2.6.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the country (ranked second). The Kansas Jayhawks rank 37th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Kansas forces a turnover rate of 20.9%. When West Virginia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 5-1 record.
