The best college basketball matchup of Saturday has to be from the Big 12 as No. 16 West Virginia, off a big win over then-No. 2 Ohio State, takes on No. 3 Kansas. The Jayhawks will be home favorites on the Mybookie NCAAB odds for West Virginia vs Kansas because they are always favored at home.
How to Bet West Virginia vs Kansas College Basketball Betting & Game Info
- When: Saturday, 4 PM ET
- Where: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence
- TV: No national TV
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- Radio: SiriusXM
- College Basketball Betting Lines: TBA
West Virginia vs Kansas Last Season
The teams played three times last season. Kansas both two of them, including the most recent meeting 88-74 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Dedric Lawson, no longer with KU, led with 24 points. Quentin Grimes added 18 points before leaving late with cramps, Devon Dotson had 13 and Marcus Garrett 11 for KU. The Jayhawks went on a 13-2 run midway through the second half to seize control. The lead reached 20 with 7 1/2 minutes to go, and KU cruised the rest of the way. Lamont West led West Virginia with 16 points. Derek Culver had 14.This will be the 18th meeting between West Virginia and Kansas. Kansas leads the series, 12-5. All 17 meetings have been since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012.
Why Bet on West Virginia?
WVU (11-1) upset No. 2 Ohio State 67-59 in Cleveland last Sunday in the Mountaineers’ most recent game. West Virginia, which who trailed by nine late in the first half, went ahead for good at 55-54 on a push-shot by Derek Culver with 3:31 left.Ohio native Miles McBride came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points. He shot 50 percent from the field (6-of-12) and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had two assists and one steal. It was McBride who made the game’s biggest shot with 1:14 remaining and the shot clock winding down to zero. The freshman guard managed to push up a one-handed heave just inside the 3-point line to give West Virginia a 59-54 lead.
Following an Ohio State turnover and then a timeout, Bob Huggins put sophomore guard Jordan McCabe back into the game and he was immediately fouled by Duane Washington Jr. with 58 seconds left. McCabe was the ideal guy for West Virginia to have on the floor considering the rest of the team was just 11-of-21 from the free-throw line. McCabe made both, and got two more to go down as West Virginia outscored the Buckeyes 14-5 over the game’s final three minutes.
Some Numbers
It was WVU’s 10th win in school history against the nation’s No. 1- or No. 2-ranked team. The win was WVU’s first over a Top 5 team away from home since defeating No. 2 Kentucky in 2010 in the NCAA Tournament. McBride was selected Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. WVU’s 11-1 start marks the fifth time in the last six years WVU has started with a 11-1 record: 11-1 in 2019-20, 15-1 in 2017-18, 12-1 in 2016-17, 15-1 in 2015-16 and 14-1 in 2014-15.This is WVU’s Big 12 opener. It is 5-2 in all-time Big 12 openers. This will be the sixth time WVU has opened Big 12 play on the road (5-0 previously).
WVU ranks seventh in offensive rebounds per game (14.3), fourth in 3-point FG% defense (25.4), seventh in FG% defense (35.9) and 13th in rebounds per game (42.0). Culver (9.4) and Oscar Tshiebwe (8.8) rank first and fourth, respectively, in Big 12 Conference rebounding. West Virginia is rebounding 38.0% of its missed shots, ranking seventh nationally.
Why Bet on Kansas?
Kansas (10-2) won at Stanford 72-56 on Sunday. The Jayhawks played terrific defense all night. KU held the Cardinal scoreless over the opening eight minutes of the contest, and without a field goal over the opening 12 minutes of action. While Stanford began the game 0-of-14 from the field, the KU offense took advantage and jumped out to a 20-4 with 6:53 left to play in the half.Stanford made just five shots in the first half, the fewest field goals by a KU opponent in a half since Syracuse connected on five in the first half on Dec. 2, 2017. Kansas finished the game with a 47 percent clip from the field, which included a 58 percent mark in the second half. The Jayhawk defense held Stanford to just 38 percent shooting and its lowest point total of the season. Kansas has now held six of its 12 opponents to under 60 points this season. KU is now 5-1 in those meetings with a mark of 173-2 in the Bill Self era when holding teams under 60 points.
Double Figures
Isaiah Moss was one of four Jayhawks to score in double figures, leading the way with 17 points. Devon Dotson and Agbaji each tallied 14-point days, with Dotson scoring 12 of his points in the second half.
Marcus Garrett added 12 points. Udoka Azubuike posted a game-high 13 rebounds. Azubuike’s seven offensive rebounds were the most by a Jayhawk since Dedric Lawson pulled down seven against Iowa State on Jan. 21, 2019. Azubuike’s 0-for-5 mark from the free throw line is the most attempted without a make by a Jayhawk since Richard Scott went 0-for-6 against Oklahoma on March 6, 1994.
KU finished the 2010s with a record of 302-68 record, good for an 81.6 winning percentage, the second-highest for a decade in program history.
For this game, Kansas is 7-0 all-time vs. West Virginia at Allen Fieldhouse. West Virginia has won in every Big 12 arena except at Kansas. Bob Huggins has faced Kansas 21 different times during his coaching career. He is 5-12 at West Virginia. The Jayhawks have won 28 consecutive conference openers, a streak which dates back to 1991-92.
West Virginia vs Kansas 2020 College Basketball Betting Trends
- Mountaineers are 3-13 SU in their last 16 games on the road
- Mountaineers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played in January
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 6 games this season
- Jayhawks are 20-0 SU in their last 20 games at home
- Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games this season
- The total has gone OVER in 9 of Kansas’ last 13 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference
