Kansas Jayhawks at West Virginia Mountaineers Betting Pick

The Big 12 Conference is a bit down this season outside of the Baylor Bears. Two of the teams in the next best tier will square off on Saturday as the West Virginia Mountaineers host the Kansas Jayhawks. 

Kansas comes into this game with 6-4 record in conference play, and the Jayhawks are 12-6 overall. This team will make the NCAA Tournament field, but it could be the worst seed for Kansas in a number of years.

West Virginia has gone 5-3 in the Big 12 Conference, and they are 12-5 overall. The Mountaineers have now won three of their last four games and might be peaking at the right time.

It is West Virginia that is a two-point home favorite over Kansas on Saturday. 

Kansas Struggling to Score

The Kansas Jayhawks are traditionally a great offensive team, but that just hasn’t been the case this season. Kansas is averaging just 73 points per game, and that’s just simply not going to get the job done in the Big 12 Conference.

Ochai Ogbaji leads the Jayhawks with 14.1 points per game, and he is also their best three-point shooting threat. Kansas is shooting 35 percent from deep, but this is not a team that is going to light up their opponent. 

Forward Jalen Wilson is averaging just 12 points per game, and he was expected to be the leader of this offense for Kansas. The Jayhawks are going to have to find a way to score inside if they are going to pull off this small upset. 

West Virginia Defense Needs to Improve

West Virginia is giving up more than 70 points per game, and that’s just not like Bob Huggins’ coached teams. The Mountaineers still put a ton of pressure on their opponents, but they have not been able to force turnovers at a high rate.

Guard Miles McBride has been the best player this season for West Virginia, leading the team in points, assists, and steals. McBride is also shooting better than 41 percent from the three-point line, and he will have the full attention of the Jayhawks in this game.

West Virginia should have the edge in the paint, and they play an extremely physical style of basketball. The Mountaineers want to wear down the Jayhawks, and it starts with their full-court pressure on defense. 

Jayhawks take care of the Mountaineers

Both of these teams have had disappointing seasons up to this point, but there is still plenty of time to turn things around. Kansas got the better of West Virginia in the first meeting of the season, and despite the Mountaineers looking for revenge, the Jayhawks will likely triumph again. 

The Mountaineers will use their pressure defense to force Kansas into some turnovers, and it will also lead to some easy offense. However, Kansas should still be able to win in a shootout situation despite facing a tough defense. 

This game will be tight, but Kansas should pull away late and overcome West Virginia. Bet the Kansas Jayhawks +2.0 over the West Virginia Mountaineers in this Big 12 showdown.

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