For the first time in over a decade, the Kansas Jayhawks are not the favorites to win the Big 12. Kansas has looked vulnerable this season and has not looked convincing in any conference game yet this year. The Jayhawks might be 3-1 in conference, but those wins came by four, five, and six points.
Instead, the West Virginia Mountaineers are looking like the team to beat. West Virginia was the first team to really shut down Trae Young this year and is 4-0 in conference. The Mountaineers will look to assert their status next week when they host the Jayhawks.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, January 15, 2018, at 9 p.m. ET at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Monday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Jayhawks looked like one of the top teams in the country through the first month of the season. They got off to a 7-0 start and were a half-point away from covering in each of those games. However, back-to-back losses to Washington and Arizona State showed that this team is much weaker than we thought and Kansas nearly lost against Nebraska in its next game.
Kansas has not looked good defensively so far in conference play. It is allowing Big 12 opponents to score an average of 83 PPG, and has needed to outscore opponents to keep getting wins. All four of the Jayhawks conference games have easily gone over the total.
West Virginia has won 15 straight games since losing its season opener and is up to No. 2 in the country. The Mountaineers are 3-1 ATS in conference play and have picked up some key road wins against conference foes already.
Under has been a solid bet in its games as this team continues to win by defense. Each of the Mountaineers last three games have finished under the total.
Player to Watch
Jevon Carter has been incredible this season. Carter looks set to be an All-American even though he hasn’t been the most efficient shooter because he is the best on-the-ball defender in the country.
He might not be the nation’s leader in steals anymore, but he has gotten it done against much better competition. Carter is averaging 3.6 steals per game and has tallied at least three steals in six straight games. His intensity has been the lynchpin for one of the country’s top defenses.
Carter will be greatly helped out too now that Esa Ahmad is back in the lineup. Ahmad had to sit out for the first half of the season, but he will take a lot of pressure off of Carter’s shoulders with his return. Carter has had to do too much on the offensive end and will be more comfortable with another good scorer.
Key Stat
This game will turn on whether or not Kansas can hit the three. As good as West Virginia at playing stifling defense, the Mountaineers have struggled to shut down three-point shooters. WVU is in the middle of the pack when it comes to defending the three and that has been an issue at points this year.
Kansas can hit the three. The Jayhawks have three shooters that can each hit the three in Devonte’ Graham, Lagerald Vick, and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Each player is hitting at least 43 percent from distance and the team as a whole is hitting better than 41 percent from downtown.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
The difference here will be the return of Ahmad and West Virginia’s depth. Kansas will be able to stand toe to toe with West Virginia for the first 30 minutes, but the Mountaineers will take over as the second half wears on. WVU will get the win, the cover, and move two games ahead of Kansas in the Big 12.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia 83, Kansas 75
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