Kansas (14-3, 4-1) at West Virginia (15-2, 4-1)
When: Monday, January 15th 2018
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
Time: 9:00 ET | TV: ESPN
Opening Odds: West Virginia -3.5
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The Top 25 Poll is littered with Big 12 teams and two of those highly-ranked squads will battle in a key game on Monday night as the Kansas Jayhawks visit the West Virginia Mountaineers. Both teams occupy first place in the conference at 4-1 with Texas Tech and Oklahoma, as the four of them start to distance themselves from the rest of the pack. Kansas is the 13-time reigning champions and after a 1-1 start, have reeled-off three-straight victories, with the latest being Saturday’s 73-72 victory over visiting Kansas State. The Mountaineers entered last weekend with the nation’s longest win streak at 15, but saw an 11-point lead slip away in the final 13 minutes of Saturday’s 72-71 road loss to No. 8 Texas Tech. Defensive-specialist Javon Carter scored a game-high 28 points and junior forward Esa Ahmad, playing his first game of the season since returning from an academic suspension, added 18 points and six rebounds off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to keep Bob Huggins’ team alone atop the conference standings. That game was our play of the day, as we had WVU +3.5 and a last second 3-pointer at the buzzer gave us one of those beautiful covers that you don’t soon forget. Kansas has won seven of the 11 meetings since West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012, but the Mountaineers are 4-1 in Morgantown, including an 85-69 win last season.
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Kansas maybe on a three-game winning streak, but those victories have not come easy. The Jayhawks have won those back-and-forth affairs by a combined 10 points. Senior guard Devonte’ Graham scored a game-high 23 vs. the Wildcats for his ninth consecutive double-digit performance and now ranks second in the conference with an average of 18.4 per contest. Guards Saviatoslav Mykhailiuk (16.5) and Lagerald Vick (14.9), center Udoka Azubuike (14.8) and guard Malik Newman (10.7) also are averaging double figures for Kansas, which is leading the Big 12 in field-goal (51.0) and 3-point (41.5) percentage.
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Carter’s 28 points Saturday were just one off his career high and comes on the heels of an eight-point effort in last Tuesday’s 57-54 win over Baylor. Overall, Carter is averaging 16.8 points and a team-high 6.5 assists. He is joined in double figures by guard Daxter Miles Jr. (13.2) and forward Lamont West (12.3) and Ahmad, after his 18-point season debut. The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 in steals per game (9.9) and turnovers forced (19.9) but had only five and 13, respectively, against a solid Texas Tech team.
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I think West Virginia showed on Saturday why they could be the best team in this conference despite the loss. They had that game in their pocket before blowing it. Their home crowd and tenacious defense will cause Kansas to force shots they don’t normally take. Kansas is 4-1, but could easily be 2-3.
Pick: West Virginia -4
- Jayhawks are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.
- Jayhawks are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Jayhawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Jayhawks are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 Monday games.
- Jayhawks are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Jayhawks are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Mountaineers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 Monday games.
- Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
- Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
- Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big 12.
- Mountaineers are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Mountaineers are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win.
- Over is 6-1 in Jayhawks last 7 vs. Big 12.
- Over is 4-1 in Jayhawks last 5 overall.
- Over is 4-1 in Jayhawks last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Over is 6-2 in Jayhawks last 8 games following a ATS loss.
- Under is 52-24-3 in Jayhawks last 79 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Under is 53-25-3 in Jayhawks last 81 road games.
- Under is 48-23-3 in Jayhawks last 74 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 overall.
- Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 Monday games.
- Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 vs. Big 12.
- Under is 4-0 in Mountaineers last 4 games following a ATS win.
- Over is 6-2 in Mountaineers last 8 games following a straight up loss.
- Under is 5-2 in Mountaineers last 7 home games.
- Home team is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
- Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in West Virginia.
- Jayhawks are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
- Jayhawks are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings in West Virginia.
