Big 12 Showdown Kansas at West Virginia

Top Teams West Virginia and Kansas Battle for First Place on Hardwood

Following Saturday’s results, there is a 4-way tie on top of the Big 12 with Texas Tech, West Virginia, Kansas and Oklahoma all tied at 4-1. Those are four of the top college basketball teams in the country each ranked in the top-12 as noted in my recent ranked teams article. The remaining six conference teams are 2-3 or 1-4 in the early conference schedule. Texas Tech held off West Virginia Saturday 72-71 while Kansas held on against Kansas State 73-72 and Oklahoma did the same in overtime against TCU 102-97. None of the winners covered the point spread as favorites, but we expect West Virginia to win and cover as favorite Monday against Kansas.

The leading offshore sportsbooks opened West Virginia a 4.5-point favorite, and reduced-juice leader 5 Dimes has West Virginia now -5 while BookMaker is up to -5.5, and suggest waiting if you like Kansas and want to take the best line on the Jayhawks.

Kansas +5

West Virginia -5

Total 157

West Virginia’s loss Saturday snapped the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games. The Mountaineers (15-2) had an 11-point lead over Texas Tech with 13 minutes remaining but couldn’t hold on. Those two teams rank 1-2 in conference play in scoring defense, scoring margin and are also the top-2 free throw shooting teams in league play (79%).

Coach Huggins Guides West Virginia to Highest Ranking in 60 years

West Virginia is 9-0 at home this season, and at a similar price point a year ago on this court, Huggy Bear’s boys beat the crap out of a better No. 2-ranked Kansas team 85-69. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins rolls over Kansas coach Self strategically and in getting the most out of his players. Huggins is a master on the Mountaineers bench, teaching relentless rebounding, ball pressure and discipline to his disciples. His approach and ability to get his players to prepare and play with passion and perform moved the Mountaineers to a No. 2 ranking in the AP Poll heading into the weekend. That was West Virginia’s highest ranking since Jerry West’s senior season in 1959.

Kansas’ Senior Point Guard Devonte Graham Leads Efficient Jayhawks Offense

Kansas is an efficient shooting team and hitting 47% FG in league play while West Virginia is shooting just under 43%. The Jayhawks rank top-10 in both adjusted offensive efficiency and FG% according to KenPom, and Kansas has taken a league-high 140 three point attempts in five league games and hit a strong 41% from the arch. Star senior guard Devonte Graham leads another talented Jayhawks team, but this year’s group is struggling on the boards and not as dominant on the defensive end, which will likely lead to their record 13-straight Big 12 regular season titles coming to an end. The Mountaineers have allowed the second-fewest 3-point shots, and if they are not falling for Kansas, don’t expect second-chance points as Kansas is dead last in rebounding margin getting out-rebounded by more than nine per game in Big 12 play

Forward Esa Ahmad Returns for West Virginia

West Virginia leads the league in steals again this season, and senior guard Jevon Carter leads the league in steals and has become West Virginia’s all-time leader in steals. He’s also the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The Mountaineers defensive pressure has them ranked No. 2 in the country in turnover percentage. The return of junior forward Esa Ahmad last game after missing the first 16 contests (NCAA eligibility) gives the Mountaineers a strong presence in the post. Ahmad was the Mountaineers second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder last season, and Huggins has called Ahmad the team’s best interior passer, a strong rebounder for a 6-foot-8, 230-pound small forward and a key player in West Virginia’s press defense, finishing second on the team last season in deflections.

Team Leaders in League Play:

Kansas                                                                         West Virginia

Devonte Graham 22.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 89% FT       Jevon Carter 13.6 PPG, 6.8 APG, 3.4 SPG

Udoka Azubuike 7.0 RPG, 75% FG                          Sagaba Konato 10.0 RPG

High-scoring close road wins at Texas and TCU give the Jayhawks some confidence, but a Monday match-up in Morgantown should go the Mountaineers way with less scoring than projected by the linemaker. Both teams used a lot of energy in pressure-packed games Saturday, but expect a more inspired effort by the home team as the Mountaineers defense and havoc creates turnovers against the Jayhawks, and West Virginia’s strength on the boards and aggressiveness gets them to the free throw line more often. West Virginia has beaten Kansas each of the last four years in Morgantown, and now Huggins has perhaps his best Mountaineers team.

West Virginia 77 Kansas 69