West Virginia Mountaineers vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, 3/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: West Virginia Mountaineers vs Kansas Jayhawks

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: West Virginia (+3)

The West Virginia Mountaineers (18-13) are traveling to T-Mobile Center on Thursday where they will try to defeat the Kansas Jayhawks (25-6). Kansas opens as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is set at 149.5.

The West Virginia Mountaineers stepped onto the hardwood against Kansas State and went home with a win by a final score of 89-81 in their last game. West Virginia finished with a 50.8% FG percentage (30 of 59) and converted 7 out of their 22 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Mountaineers made 22 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 88.0%. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they earned 29 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 13 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 19 turnovers and earning 14 steals. Concerning defending, West Virginia let their opponent shoot 44.8% from the field on 30 out of 67 shooting. Kansas State distributed 18 dimes and had 10 steals for the matchup. In addition, Kansas State pulled down 33 rebounds (11 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Kansas State shot 75.0% at the charity stripe by converting 9 of 12 attempts. They also made 12 of 28 attempts from 3-point range. Concerning fouls, the Mountaineers walked away with 14 while Kansas State had 23 fouls.

Erik Stevenson is someone who had an impact in this contest. He ended up walking away with 27 points on 11 out of 22 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 minutes and also snagged 4 rebounds. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and earned 5 assists.

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West Virginia will enter this contest with a mark of 18-13 on the season. They have an average of 76.7 points per contest (61st in Division 1) while shooting 45.5% from the field. The Mountaineers are connecting on 35.2% on shots from downtown (227 of 644) and 73.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, West Virginia is pulling in 33.8 rebounds per game and has tallied 408 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 186th in the nation in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 13.1 times per contest and as a group they are committing 18.8 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Mountaineers are forcing 14.7 turnovers per game and they draw 21.8 personal fouls. They relinquish 34.3% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 209th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (71.1). The Mountaineers defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.7% (758 of 1,694) and they concede 31.0 boards per contest as a unit. They rank 136th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 382 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Kansas Jayhawks took a loss by a final score of 75-59 when they played Texas. The Jayhawks were able to pull down 22 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 27 in this matchup. They turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. Texas committed 14 personal fouls in this contest which took the Jayhawks to the free throw line for 15 shots. They were able to make 10 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. In relation to shots from distance, Kansas buried 7 of their 22 attempts (31.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Jayhawks shot 21 out of 58 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.2%. The Jayhawks allowed Texas to make 25 out of their 55 attempts from the field which had them shooting 45.5% in this contest. They shot 28.6% from distance by connecting on 6 out of 21 and ended up going 19 of 24 at the free throw line (79.2%). When talking about rebounds, Kansas allowed Texas to collect 35 overall (3 offensive).

Jalen Wilson was important for the Jayhawks in the game. He made 7 out of 18 for the game giving him a rate of 38.9%, and had 10 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 39 minutes of playing time and totaled 1 assist in the matchup.

Kansas has a record of 25-6 on the year. The Jayhawks have committed 16.8 personal fouls every game and they shoot 72.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.9 times per contest (12th in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.2 times per game. Kansas has accounted for 2,343 pts for the season (75.6 per game) and they grab 36.3 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Jayhawks are shooting 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 72nd in the nation.

The Jayhawks on defense are ranked 126th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 68.2. They have forced 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (47th in college basketball). The Kansas defense gives up 31.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (204 of 647) and their opponents are knocking down 72.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 11.1 assists and 34.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 62nd and 239th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take West Virginia (+3)

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