The Kansas Jayhawks are a perennial favorite with the public trying out the NCAA Basketball betting lines to earn a berth to the Final Four as one of college basketball’s unquestioned marquee blue blood programs. The upstart West Virginia Mountaineers may not be a college basketball blue blood but are quickly becoming a Final Four favorite for 2018. Kansas and West Virginia are in the thick of the Big 12 Conference championship race and will match up in one of the top games in the nation on Monday night.
#12 Kansas Jayhawks vs. #2 West Virginia Mountaineers
Date and Time: Monday, January 15, 2018 8 p.m. ET
Location: West Virginia University Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
NCAA Basketball Odds at SBG: West Virginia -4
Jayhawks vs. Mountaineers TV Coverage: ESPN
The West Virginia Mountaineers have quickly caught the attention of the public betting NCAA Basketball. West Virginia is well balanced and plays a complete game. The Mounties rank 40th in the nation for scoring offense and 34th for scoring defense. Senior guard Jevon Carter is the trigger man for the Mounties. Carter leads West Virginia with 16.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. The Mounties are 15-2 straight up and 7-6 against the spread. West Virginia is 3-2 against the spread at home. The Mounties have gone under the total in four out of five home games. West Virginia is coming off a 72-71 loss at Texas Tech but got the money as 4.5-point dogs. The Mounties have paid out in four of their last five games and in the NCAA Basketball betting lines.
The Kansas Jayhawks are 14-3 straight up and 9-7 against the spread. Kansas is 3-1 against the spread on the road. The Jayhawks have gone two over and two under the total on the road this season. Senior guard Devonte Graham quarterbacks the Jayhawk attack. Graham leads Kansas with 18.4 points and 7.4 assists per game. Kansas has lost three out of their last four games against the spread. The Jayhawks boast the nation’s 17th ranked scoring offense but that is offset by a scoring defense that ranks 127th.
Matchup to Watch
This matchup features two of the top elite coaches in the game. Kansas head coach Bill Self is in his 15th season at KU with a record of 430-91 and a 2008 national title. Self’s teams are among the most entertaining to watch in all of college basketball. The Jayhawks have been a model of excellence and consistency under Self. But as well as Self has done at KU, his many upset losses in the NCAA Tournament continue to haunt him and frustrate the public betting NCAA Basketball.
Bob Huggins is in his 11th season at the helm of his alma mater. Huggins has a career mark of 244-120 at West Virginia. He led the Mounties to the Final Four in 2010. West Virginia has gone to the Big Dance in eight out of Huggins’ ten seasons in Morgantown. WVU made the Sweet Sixteen last year.
The Mounties have covered the betting lines NCAA basketball in their last two meetings against the Jayhawks. West Virginia is 6-2 against the spread in their last eight matchups with Kansas. The Mounties and Jayhawks have gone under the total in three out of their last five games. West Virginia has come away with the cash in five straight home games against Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks vs. West Virginia Mountaineers NCAA Basketball Picks
West Virginia has the Jayhawks number in Morgantown. The Mounties strong offensive rebounding provides another advantage.
NCAA Basketball Betting Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers
NCAA Basketball Betting Score Prediction: West Virginia 88, Kansas 74