The 18th ranked Kansas State Wildcats will look to bounce back from their humbling loss on Saturday to subdue struggling West Virginia when the two teams square off in their Big 12 conference clash on Monday night. Now, let’s find out if the Wildcats are the pick to win and cash in on the road or whether the Mountaineers are the pick as a home dog.
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Kansas State vs West Virginia NCAAB Lines, Predictions & Pick
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— K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) 17 de febrero de 2019
- When: Monday, February 18, 2019 at 9:00 PM ET
- Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: Kansas State / WVU
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- NCAAB Odds: Kansas State -7.5 / Total: 133.5
Why Bet on Kansas State?
Why should you consider betting on the Wildcats in this contest? First, they are the far better defensive team in this contest as they limit the opposition to just 60.2 points per game to rank a stupendous fourth nationally in points allowed. Then, there’s the fact that the Wildcats will be highly motivated to take another step toward winning their first conference crown since 1977 after having their four-game winning streak snapped in their humbling 78-64 smackdown loss against Iowa State on Saturday while never coming close to covering the chalk as a 2.5-point home favorite against the Cyclones.
Unfortunately, senior forward and Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Dean Wade might be forced to sit this contest out after suffering a foot injury on Saturday that caused him to miss six games earlier this season.
“He had some soreness in his foot all week’” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “He didn’t practice. He was in a boot. It’s not the same injury as before. He tweaked it. … We’ll just have to see.”
Offensively Kansas State is averaging a modest 65.8 points per game (324th).
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 65.84
- Field Goals: 43.02%
- Three Points: 33.14%
- Free Throws: 65.69%
- Rebounds: 33.68
- Average Score Against: 60.20
- Field Goals: 41.80%
- Three Points: 32.20%
- Free Throws: 65.74%
- Rebounds: 31.60
Why Bet on West Virginia?
Why should you consider betting on West Virginia? Because the Mountaineers are playing at home, getting a handful of points and K-State will likely be without a major contributor.
West Virginia should also be motivated after losing their third straight game by getting smacked around by14th ranked Kansas 78-53 on Saturday. The Mountaineers trailed 43-16 lead at halftime and never had a chance to get the upset.
“Another loss – that’s about the only thing I can take away from this,” West Virginia Bob Huggins said after the Mountaineers played their first game without senior forward Esa Ahmad and junior forward Wesley Harris, a pair of key contributors who were kicked off the team Monday for a “violation of athletic department policies.”
West Virginia has the more explosive offense in this matchup (71.4 ppg, 221st), but they also allow more points per game than they average (75.4 ppg).
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 71.40
- Field Goals: 41.04%
- Three Points: 30.81%
- Free Throws: 68.17%
- Rebounds: 39.08
- Average Score Against: 75.44
- Field Goals: 44.62%
- Three Points: 35.20%
- Free Throws: 70.53%
- Rebounds: 34.72
Kansas State vs West Virginia NCAAB Betting Trends
- Kansas State is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- Kansas State is 9-2 SU in the last 11 games
- The total went OVER in 5 of Kansas State’s last 5 games
- West Virginia is 1-6 ATS in the last 7 games
- West Virginia is 1-6 SU in the last 7 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of West Virginia’s last 6 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Kansas State vs West Virginia
West Virginia has won nine of the last 11 meetings, including five straight in Morgantown, but I’m thinking the Mountaineers are ripe for the picking in this contest simply because they’re going to be without two key performers for the foreseeable future.
The Mountaineers are ranked last in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting (30.8 percent) and in 3-point defense (35.2). Not only that, but Kansas State has gone a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record, a near-perfect 8-1 ATS in their last 9 vs. Big 12, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and a bankroll-boosting 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Conversely, West Virginia is an uninspiring 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games overall, 1-4 ATS in their last five games following an SU loss and 1-5 ATS in their last six games against their Big 12 rivals. I like K-State for the SU win, but West Virginia to narrowly cover the chalk!
NCAAB Betting Pick: K-State 71 West Virginia 66
