The No. 18 West Virginia Mountaineers (12-5, 5-3 Big 12) host the No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks (12-6, 6-4) Friday at WVU Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Kansas-West Virginia college basketball odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rankings courtesy of Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Kansas at West Virginia: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Kansas +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | West Virginia -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kansas +2.5 (-110) | West Virginia -2.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 141.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Kansas at West Virginia: Three things to know
- The Jayhawks won their last game vs. Kansas State 74-51 but have struggled on the road recently. Kansas has lost four in a row (3-1 ATS) as the visitor, including a 19-point loss to No. 10 Tennessee last Saturday.
- West Virginia beat Iowa State 76-72 the last time out and is 3-1 overall (2-2 ATS) following a 14-day layoff because of COVID-19 issues. Mountaineers junior F Derek Culver leads West Virginia in player efficiency rating, and he leads the Big XII in rebounds per game.
- Kansas beat the brakes off of West Virginia 79-65 earlier this season as a 2-point home favorite. The Jayhawks have dominated the Mountaineers since they joined the Big 12 in 2012, winning five in a row and nine of their last 10 meetings (7-3 ATS).
Special College Basketball Betting Promotion!
Bet $1 on any college basketball team money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if ANY team hits a 3-pointer today. Promotion available in CO, IN, MI, NJ, TN, VA and WV. IA and PA residents, don’t miss BetMGM‘s risk-free, first-bet offer! Place your legal, online sports bets at BetMGM! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Special West Virginia College Basketball Offer! Bet $1 on West Virginia’s money line, win an additional $100 (in free bets) if West Virginia hits a 3-pointer during their game. Place your legal, online bets in West Virginia at BetMGM. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply. Bet now!
Kansas at West Virginia: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
West Virginia 71, Kansas 64
Money line (ML)
PASS with a slight lean toward West Virginia (-145) only because this money line is a little more expensive than I’d like to pay.
Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Against the spread (ATS)
Neither the market nor BetMGM is being heavily influenced by the first Kansas-West Virginia result. You can tell because the Jayhawks crushed the Mountaineers while laying only 2 points; however, WVU was actually leading at halftime of that game before it got out of hand in the second half.
WVU has been steamed up from a 1.5-point favorite on the opener to the current price. If the bookmakers and/or the market thought these teams weren’t evenly matched then Kansas would be favored on the road.
Also, aside from consecutive wins over Texas Tech and WVU in mid-December, Kansas has gotten punched in the mouth when it has stepped up in competition.
The Jayhawks’ last four losses have come against ranked competition on the road and the only cover was against No. 2 Baylor. Kansas covered by only a half-point by scoring seven points in the final 63 seconds to sneak in the backdoor.
TAKE WEST VIRGINIA -2.5 (-110) for 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
I lean UNDER 141.5 (-110) for a half-unit because Kansas was lights out from three in the first game between these two and I think the Jayhawks’ 3-point shooting will regress back to their regular-season average in the second game.
Plus, since the beginning of last season, West Virginia is 8-13-1 O/U as a home favorite.
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Additional college sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Auburn / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]