The Kansas State Wildcats played Thursday like their NCAA Tournament life depended on it. And it probably did, that’s why the Wildcats looked sharp. KSU likely punched its ticket to the Big Dance with a victory over Baylor and can cement its status by knocking off the West Virginia Mountaineers in the semifinals. While KSU will be the underdog in this matchup, that certainly hasn’t affected the play in the tournament with two of the top four seeds going down on Thursday.
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Kansas State was dangling on the ropes last week having lost eight of 10 and going 2-7-1 ATS heading into the final week of regular season play. But the Wildcats were able to turn things around by winning their final two games and knocking off No. 9 Baylor, 70-64, for the second time in the quarterfinals. KSU’s three-game winning streak where they went 3-0 ATS likely put them on the good side of the bubble.
West Virginia was the favorite in both regular season meetings and the teams split those games with each winning on its home floor. The rubber game of the series will be played at a neutral site but K-State could have a slight advantage with the game being played near to its campus. The Wildcats pulled off the upset at home in January, winning 79-75 as a 3-point underdog. The Mountaineers haven’t been as good out of Morgantown. They were just 5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS in their nine conference road games.
Key Stat
While the Mountaineers are one of the highest scoring teams in the Big 12, their bread and butter is defense and creating turnovers. WVU once again was the best during the regular season at creating havoc and led the nation forcing more than 21 turnovers per game. That in turn led to easy buckets in transition and more possessions, helping the 83.2 points per game average.
Press Virginia makes it hard to score by forcing turnovers on 28 percent of their opponent’s possessions, nearly three percentage points higher than the next team. The Wildcats got caught in WVU’s web in the last meeting, committing 19 turnovers and shooting 35 percent from the floor in an 85-66 loss. But they were better at holding onto the basketball in a win over WVU in January. K-State had just 13 turnovers and escaped with a 79-75 victory.
Player to Watch
West Virginia needs a long bench to play its brand of basketball and at times the rotation runs 12 deep. One player who doesn’t get much time off, though, is Jevon Carter, the team’s leader on both ends of the floor. Not only is Carter WVU’s leading scorer and assist man, he also tops the Big 12 in steals with 2.7 per game.
Carter spearheaded the Mountaineers victory over Texas on Thursday by scoring one-third of the team’s points. He hit 7 of 12 shots, including 5 of 8 from three-point range, and was the only consistent offensive threat with his 21 points. No other WVU player scored more than eight. He also directed the stifling defense that limited the Longhorns to 35 percent shooting and had two steals. In all, the Mountaineers forced 14 turnovers and waltzed to the victory by holding Texas scoreless for the final 5:34 of the game. Carter was on the floor for over 36 minutes doing his usual damage on both ends of the court.
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Bob Huggins wasn’t happy with his team’s performance in Thursday’s win over Texas and was concerned that he had to play some of his stars a bit longer than he wanted. That could be helpful for the Wildcats, who strengthened their resume with a win over Baylor. Another marquee victory would certainly get K-State an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The key for the Wildcats is handling WVU’s pressure. There were times against Baylor when K-State struggled with the zone and coughed the ball up several times when being pressured. But the Wildcats overcame those faults, made enough big shots, and converted at the stripe when they had to. They were composed down the stretch and got a glimpse of what they’ll be facing on Friday. If the Wildcats take care of the basketball, they win this game. And with the home crowd behind them, K-State gets the upset in a tournament that’s been filled with them.
College Basketball Odds: Kansas State 71, West Virginia 69
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