The Kansas Jayhawks play the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth round of the Big 12 tournament at Sprint Center. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Jayhawks come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Baylor 70-66 in the 3. Devonte’ Graham was a key piece with 14 points, eight assists, and four steals. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, are coming off a 69-67 win against Oklahoma in the 3. Jevon Carter led the game in scoring by registering 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Kansas currently ranks 11th in the nation in offensive efficiency and West Virginia is 10th in defensive efficiency. Moreover, the Mountaineers are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking first in OR% at 42.1%. But the Jayhawks rank 29th at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 71.7%.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Jayhawks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a close 70-66 win. Carter was the game’s top overall scorer with 26 points.
Notes
West Virginia won its last game by a two-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Kansas is 1-0. West Virginia is 1-1 in close games this season.
Ranked 20th, the Kansas Jayhawks have one of the top defenses in the country, giving up just 96.8 points per 100 possessions. The West Virginia Mountaineers rank 46th in offense, scoring 112.8 points in the same number of possessions.
The Kansas Jayhawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the nation with a FG% of 49.4%. The West Virginia Mountaineers have split their games this season (3-3) when opponents record a similar or higher FG%.
The West Virginia Mountaineers rank higher based on their field goal percentage (119th) than their effective field goal percentage (169th), while the Kansas Jayhawks rank the same for both metrics (seventh).
Kansas ranks 33rd in assists, recording 16.0 per game. West Virginia ranks 84th with 14.8 assists per game.
Kansas, the 86th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.2 per game. West Virginia does worse, ranked 275th with 2.6.
West Virginia ranks among the best in the country in offensive rebounding at second, while Kansas ranks 45th in defensive rebounds.
Ranked second, West Virginia averages a forced turnover percentage of 25.7% this season. When the Kansas Jayhawks suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this, the team is winless with a 0-1 record.
