Mountaineers vs. Jayhawks Prediction
The third-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will host the 16th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers this afternoon to open Big 12 Conference play. Can West Virginia keep its strong season going by keeping it close against the Jayhawks?
Game Snapshot
665 West Virginia Mountaineers at 666 Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Allen Fieldhouse at 4PM ET
TV: ESPN+
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Jayhawks are a 9.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 141.5 points. As of Saturday morning, 63 percent of public bets are siding with visiting West Virginia. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date info.
Mountaineers upset Buckeyes
West Virginia downed Ohio State by a score of 67-59 last Saturday afternoon in Cleveland to improve to 11-1 on the season. The Mountaineers outscored the Buckeyes 36-22 in the second half of the defeat. Miles McBride paced West Virginia with 21 points off the bench on 6-of-12 shooting including 3-of-4 from 3-point range plus 6-of-8 at the free throw line. He also tallied two rebounds and two assists. Chase Harler added 10 points in 24 minutes as a reserve.
Jayhawks ease past Cardinal
Kansas rolled to a 72-56 win Sunday at Stanford to move to 10-2 overall and 2-1 on the road. The Jayhawks led 28-18 at halftime and pulled away further after the break. Isaiah Moss paced KU with 17 points off the bench on 6-of-12 shooting including 4-of-7 from 3-point distance plus 1-of-1 at the free throw line. He also pulled down three rebounds. Devon Dotson registered 14 points, four boards, steals and three assists. Ochai Agbaji accounted for 14 points, three caroms, two assists and two steals. Marcus Garrett added 12 points, five rebounds and four dimes.
College Basketball Betting Trends
West Virginia
The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last five Saturday games. The road team is 3-14 ATS in the last 17 meetings.
Kansas
The Jayhawks are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games. Kansas is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall.
Prediction:
Kansas has the second-best defense in the nation and has allowed over 68 points only once, with that contest going to overtime. While the Mountaineers are stout defensively, they can occasionally have offensive lapses. That won’t help against the Jayhawks. Kansas downed West Virginia by 25 at home last season and while this one will almost certainly not be that lopsided, I still like the hosts.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: KANSAS JAYHAWKS -9.5