The Kansas Jayhawks, No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 1 in the country, bid for their first conference championship since 2013 when they face the West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday.
- Underdog has gone 4-1 ATS in the previous five meetings.
- Jayhawks are 5-1 ATS in their last six neutral site meetings.
- UNDER is 5-1 in West Virginia’s last six neutral site games.
Kansas advanced to the tournament final with a 70-66 victory over Baylor Friday, but the win would leave Kansas bettors furious after they blew a 16-point lead late in the game with the bench on the floor. Ultimately, the Jayhawks failed to cover the spread as 7-point favorites and it was their third ATS defeat in the previous five games.
The Jayhawks enter Saturday’s contest with a 13-game winning streak, which includes a 75-65 victory over West Virginia on their home floor back on February 9, but one of their four losses on the season came at West Virginia on January 12.
The Mountaineers have been a decent wager against the Jayhawks of late, posting a 4-1 ATS mark in the previous five meetings. The one loss, obviously, came at Kansas earlier this season. They enter the Big 12 final on a bit of a tear at the betting window, covering the spread in six-straight contests – their longest such streak of the season.
Both of these teams will be going to the dance regardless of the outcome Saturday and the Jayhawks will undoubtedly be chosen as one of the four No. 1 seeds. Still, this game has all the makings of an entertaining affair that will come down to the simple cliché of "who wants it more".
West Virginia Mountaineers vs Kansas Jayhawks Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The 29-4 and 20-11 ATS Kansas Jayhawks will face the 26-7 West Virginia Mountaineers, who own a 21-10 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Kansas Jayhawks are 11-19-1 on the OVER/UNDER so far this season while the West Virginia Mountaineers are 13-17-1.
The Kansas Jayhawks sit at No. 19 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the West Virginia Mountaineers sit at No. 8 on the same chart.
Statistical Matchup
Rebounding is always a key handicapping betting consideration and West Virginia is ranked No. 33 in NCAA basketball at 39.39 per game. Contrast that with Kansas's No. 65 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Kansas is the No. 50-ranked team in the country at 8.3 per game, while West Virginia rates No. 201 at 6.18 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
West Virginia got 26 points from Jevon Carter en route to a 69-67 victory over Oklahoma on Friday at Sprint Center.
Kansas got 20 points from Perry Ellis en route to a 70-66 victory over Baylor on Friday at Sprint Center.
