The No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats head out on the road for one game as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers from the WVU Coliseum. Kansas State is looking to get back on track after having its four-game winning streak snapped last time out vs then-No. 23 Iowa State, while West Virginia is aiming to break out of its three-game slide. The Wildcats edged the Mountaineers 71-69 at the Bramlage Coliseum in early January and is a 7.5-point favorite in tonight’s game with the total Sportsbook at 134 points.
- West Virginia is 2-8 SU and ATS in its last 10 games.
- Kansas State is 8-2 SU and ATS in its last 10 games.
- The total has gone OVER in each of Kansas State’s last five games.
Kansas State vs West Virginia Game Center
Wildcats Continue to smother teams Defensively
For just the second time since early January, Kansas State enters a game coming off a defeat. Kansas State was rolling on a four-game winning streak which was snapped by then-No. 23 Iowa State on Saturday. Included in the Wildcats’ four wins in a row was an impressive home victory over then-No. 13 Kansas.
Piling on the points hasn’t been easy for Kansas State as it averaging just 65.8 points per game ranking 307th which increases slightly to 68.1 ppg on the road. However, over its four-game winning streak, it scored 72.5 ppg. The main reason for the low amount of points being scored is that the Wildcats only take 55 shots per game which are the 63rd-fewest in college hoops and only hit 43 percent of those attempts ranking 232nd.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are surrendering just 60.2 points per game which are the fourth-fewest in college hoops. With their slow pace of play offensively, they also don’t allow many shots against, giving up just 51 opponent attempts per game which are the fifth-fewest in the nation and that falls to 49.5 on the road. Additionally, their foes are shooting 41.8 percent from the floor which is the 66th-lowest percentage.
Mountaineers struggling to slow down their opponents
It has been tough sledding for West Virginia in Big 12 play this year, capturing just two victories through 12 games and is currently on a three-game slide. That being said, one of its two triumphs was an impressive 65-64 home win over then-No. 7 Kansas.
The offense has been a little hard to come by for the Mountaineers as they are pouring in an average of 71.4 points per game ranking 195th, but that jumps significantly to 77.5 ppg at home. Don’t expect much of their offense to come from downtown as they rank 318th in three-point shooting percentage, although that climbs slightly to 32 percent at home. Meanwhile, inside the arc, they are shooting 47.8 percent which is rated at 254th.
However, slowing teams down has been a tough task for West Virginia as it ranks 251st in the nation with 75.4 points allowed per game. It is doing a decent job at limiting the shots against, giving up just 57.3 looks at the rim per game ranking 157th, it’s just not being aggressive enough as its opponents are shooting 44.6 percent which is rated at 200th. Most concerning is that its foes are shooting 35.3 percent from long range which is the 126th-highest percentage in the nation.
Should you expect the UNDER?
Kansas State has one of the best defenses in the nation, but West Virginia does a good job filling the basket and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 134 points. The Wildcats have gone OVER in five straight games, but only three games went OVER 134 points.
Meanwhile, West Virginia has gone UNDER in four of its last six games, including three in a row and only the three most recent games did it go UNDER 134 points. These teams met at the Bramlage Coliseum in early January and played to a combined score of 140. However, West Virginia is likely without three of its top-scoring players and Kansas State may be without its second-leading scorer so I think an UNDER is in store for tonight’s game.
My take on Kansas State vs West Virginia
I like Kansas State to cover the 7.5-point spread. The Wildcats’ offense has come alive recently, averaging 70.8 points per game over their last five contests compared to their season average of 65.8 ppg. Additionally, they are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 with an average winning margin of 9.5.
Meanwhile, West Virginia has gone 2-8 SU and ATS in its last 10 with an average losing margin of 21.38 and no game being lost by fewer than eight points. The Mountaineers may also be without their three top-scoring players in Sagaba Konate, James Bolden and Esa Ahmad, Bolden is questionable. Kansas State allows the third-fewest shots against on the road and West Virginia ranks 303rd with a 41.1 shooting percentage.
