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Kansas vs West Virginia Odds and Picks

John Hyslop

by John Hyslop in College Basketball

Updated Feb 5, 2021 · 4:05 PM PST

West Virginia guard Taz Sherman shooting a shot during a college basketball game.
West Virginia guard Taz Sherman during an NCAA college basketball game against Oklahoma State, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
  • The Kansas Jayhawks (12-6, 6-4 Big 12) play the West Virginia Mountaineers (12-5, 5-3 Big 12) on Saturday, February 6th
  • Both teams answered losses with wins the last time they hit the hardwood
  • See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet below

The Kansas Jayhawks and West Virginia Mountaineers will meet for the final time during the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 5th, 2:00 pm ET).

This game is the first of six straight versus ranked opponents for West Virginia. The Mountaineers are coming into the daunting stretch in style after beating Iowa State 76-72 in their last game.

Meanwhile, Kansas gets four straight games against unranked opponents after this one. They absolutely hammered Kansas State 74-51 in their last action on Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks have owned this series recently winning the last five meetings including a 79-65 beating earlier this season. The current odds are showing West Virginia as a 1.5 point favorite in this matchup.

#23 Kansas vs #17 West Virginia Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Kansas Jayhawks +1.5 (-115) +100 Over 141.5 (-110)
West Virginia Mountaineers -1.5 (-105) -118 Under 141.5 (-110)

Odds as of Feb 5th at FanDuel

Kansas Is Back On Track

Going into their last game, the Jayhawks needed a win in the worst possible way. They were losers of four out of their previous five and were in jeopardy of falling out of the top 25. They got just what the doctor ordered as they beat the breaks off of Kansas State from start to finish. The 74-51 win was their largest winning margin in almost a month and couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Jayhawks’ starters were the story of this game. All played at least 23 minutes and four of the five hit double digits in the scoring column. Forward David McCormack led the way for Kansas with 18 points and 10 boards. It was his first double-double in February in only one try after only recording one in January.

West Virginia Is Looking For Revenge

The Mountaineers will no doubt have revenge on their minds Saturday afternoon. Their 79-65 loss to the Jayhawks earlier in the season was their most lopsided defeat so far on the year. To put that into perspective, they only lost to number one ranked Gonzaga by five points. They are a good team that’s full of pride and they showed as much in their last game against Iowa State.

West Virginia went to Iowa State and absolutely dominated the first half. They are a very good first half team averaging 35.6 points in the opening frame of their games this season. They hung 42 on the Cyclones and survived a second half surge by Iowa State to bring home a win. Taz Sherman was fantastic in the win going for 18 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Best Betting Angle

Narratives are not always the best roads to travel for bettors but the revenge narrative in this one seems legitimate. These two schools are ranked 21 and 22 according to KenPom so it is a pretty even matchup. They are both in the top 40 in the nation in offensive and defensive efficiency (adjusted for opponent) while playing at a similar pace.

What stands out about the first game was the Jayhawks’ three-point shooting performance. On average, Kansas attempts 22 three-pointers per game but in the West Virginia game they took 37 tries. On top of that, they hit 16 of them which is well above their season average of 34%. To compound the issue, in their last three games they are only connecting on 27.1% of the long range attempts.

Despite what happened in the previous matchup, the Mountaineers are very good at defending the perimeter. They are 89th best in the country holding opponents to a 31% success rate from deep. This seems like a likely regression spot on top of a revenge angle. The Mountaineers are a decent bet at this price given the circumstances.

Pick: West Virginia ML (-118) 

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