West Virginia vs. Kansas prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
12/30/2024 05:00 PM
It is the opening of the Big 12 conference schedule as West Virginia visits Kansas. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a West Virginia-Kansas prediction and pick.
West Virginia comes into the game at 9-2 on the year. They opened up the year 2-0 before falling to Pitt. They would win their next two, including an upset of Gonzaga, but they would then fall to Louisville. Since then, West Virginia has won five straight games, including an upset of a 24th-ranked Arizona squad. Meanwhile, Kansas is also 9-2 on the year. They would start the year 7-0 with wins over North Carolina and Duke in the process. They would then fall by 13 to Creighton before being upset by Missouri. Since then, they have defeated NC State and Brown.
Since 2013, these two schools have faced off 28 times. Kansas has won 21 of them while West Virginia has won seven. Last season, they faced just once, with Kansas winning 91-85.
Here are the West Virginia-Kansas College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia-Kansas Odds
West Virginia: +13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +720
Kansas: -13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -1200
Over: 142.5 (-115)
Under: 142.5 (-105)
How to Watch West Virginia vs. Kansas
Time: 2:00 PM ET/ 11:00 AM PT
TV: ESPN+
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Why West Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
West Virginia is ranked 49th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 80th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 27th in adjusted defensive efficiency. West Virginia has been much stronger on defense this year. They are 24th in the nation in opponent points per game, while sitting eighth in opponent effective field goal percentage. Further, they are eighth in the nation in opponent two-point shooting percentage this year. West Virginia is also fifth in the nation in blocks, while sitting 74th in the nation in steals.
Javon Small leads the way for West Virginia. The guard is scoring 19.7 points per game this year while also adding 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Further, he has been solid on the defensive side of the court, with 2.1 steals per game. He is joined in the backcourt by Tucker DeVries. DeVries is scoring 14.9 points per game while adding 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Still, he has missed time since the start of December and may miss this game as well. Finally, Jonathan Powell has 8.5 points per game, while he adds two rebounds per game.
In the frontcourt, Amani Hansberry leads the way. He is scoring just 10.6 points per game but leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game. He also adds 1.3 assists and 0.9 steals. Eduardo Andre has been solid down low. While he is scoring just 4.4 points per game, he also has 4.4 rebounds and one assist. Further, Andre adds 2.3 blocks per game this year.
Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kansas is ranked ninth in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 27th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency. Kansas is 44th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 23rd in effective field goal percentage. They have also moved the ball well this year, sitting seventh in the nation in assists per game. Further, they are efficient shooting the ball, sitting 44th in the nation in effective field goal percentage.
Kansas is led by Hunter Dickinson. He is scoring 15.5 points per game to lead the team. Further, he leads the team with 10.3 rebounds per game, while also adding 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. He is joined in the front court by KJ Adams. Adams is scoring 9.5 rebounds per game while adding 2.3 assists per game. Further, he has 1.1 blocks per game.
Zeke Mayo leads the way in the backcourt. He is scoring 13.5 points per game while adding 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Meanwhile, JaJuan Harris Jr. leads the team in assists. He has 5.6 assists per game while adding 10.3 points, two rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Finally, AJ Storr is scoring 7.9 points per game, while adding 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game this year.
Final West Virginia-Kansas Prediction & Pick
Both teams are strong on defense this year. Kansas is 44th in the nation in opponent points per game while also sitting 23rd in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. West Virginia has been even better. They are 24th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting eighth in opponent effective field goal percentage. While Kansas has the weaker defense, West Virginia has the weaker offense. Kansas has seen the total hit the under in all but one game this year, which was against a quality North Carolina squad. West Virginia has seen the Under hit in seven of their 11 games this year. The under is the best play in this one.
Final West Virginia-Kansas Prediction & Pick: Under 142.5 (-105)
The post West Virginia vs. Kansas prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
