Kansas vs. West Virginia NCAAB Preview
Where: WVU Coliseum – Morgantown, WV
When: Tuesday, January 24, 2017, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Kansas Jayhawks (+4.5) at West Virginia Mountaineers (-4.5) – view all NCAA basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Writer’s Pick: Kansas Jayhawks (+4.5)
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Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks (18-1, 7-0)
The Kansas Jayhawks’ impressive run continues. The Jayhawks have now won 17 games in a row since their opening game defeat to Indiana, and have won their first seven Big 12 games. However, they are just 2-5 against the spread through those first seven games.
After surviving a spirited effort from Iowa State to win 76-72 in Ames, they went back home to take down, Texas 79-67, on Saturday.
The terrific backcourt of Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham once again led the way against the Longhorns as they combined for 35 points and 12 assists. Meanwhile, freshman Josh Jackson bounced back from his 6-point outing against Iowa State with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in the Texas win.
Kansas goes back on the road for a tough test against West Virginia, but the Jayhawks will be catching the Mountaineers at a very good time. Not only is WVU struggling at the moment, but Kansas also has the terrific guard play with Mason and Graham which can combat the patented West Virginia press.
Kansas is 5-0 on the road this season, but is 1-3 against the spread in four conference road games.
Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (15-4, 4-3)
West Virginia is in the midst of its first losing skid of the season. The Mountaineers were stunned with back-to-back losses at home against Oklahoma (89-87) and at Kansas State (79-75) last week, which dropped them to just 4-3 in conference play.
The West Virginia press which forces 23 turnovers per game could only come up with 12 turnovers against the Sooners even with overtime, and too many missed free throws (18-29) proved costly. And against K-State, WVU’s offense was just bad. They shot just 42 percent from the floor, and committed 23 turnovers against just 16 by the Wildcats.
However, West Virginia hasn’t lost three straight games since the 2013-14 season, and they should feel confident about their chances of victory even with the visit of undefeated Kansas. That’s because the Mountaineers are 3-0 in their last three meetings against the Jayhawks in Morgantown. Last season, they brought down a then-No. 1 Kansas team, 74-63, as they forced the Jayhawks to 22 turnovers, 7 from Frank Mason alone.
Writer’s Prediction
It’s not everyday you can take the points on the No. 2 team in the country, so don’t waste the chance to do so now. Kansas (+4.5) is the better team, and at the very least, it keeps things close on the out-of-sync Mountaineers.
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