Kansas Jayhawks vs West Virginia Mountaineers: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

When: Wednesday, February 12th at 7 pm EST

How (TV): Watch on ESPN+ here!

Kansas Jayhawks (Away)

Head Coach: Bill Self {Overall: 20-3 | Conference: 9-1, 2nd in Big 12}

Fresh off his 700th career win (493 of them at Kansas), coach Bill Self will look to have his program back on top of the Big 12 standings.

The Kansas Jayhawks seem primed to reclaim the conference title and much more, thanks to their strong defense which has given up just 60.3 points per game, good for eighth in the country.

Furthermore, the Jayhawks have been one of the more disciplined teams in the nation on that end, ranking 16th in personal fouls committed, while limiting opponents to the 14th fewest free throw attempts in the nation.

Kansas got Self his milestone win last Saturday in a road victory over TCU. The Jayhawks beat the Horned Frogs 60-46 behind double-doubles from Udoka Azubuike (20 points, 15 rebounds) and Devon Dotson (18 points, 11 assists).

KU pulled out the victory despite coughing up 16 turnovers, which exceeded their season average of 13.

West Virginia Mountaineers (Home)

The Mountaineers rank No. 1️⃣4️⃣ in this week’s AP Top 25.#HailWV pic.twitter.com/sVlTOMaYDC

— WVU Basketball (@WVUhoops) February 10, 2020

Head Coach: Bob Huggins {Overall: 18-5 | Conference: 6-4, T-3rd in Big 12}

After suffering through a down year last season, the West Virginia Mountaineers are back in Big 12 contention and primed to make noise in March.

As is the case with Bob Huggins-coached WVU teams of years past, this Mountaineers squad has placed a heavy emphasis on defensive excellence. Opponents have struggled to put up points against West Virginia this year, shooting just 37% from the field and 27.6% from beyond the arc.

On the other end of the court, the Mountaineers have been one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation, ranking third in that category in college basketball. WVU’s frontcourt tandem of Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver are a big reason why, as the two bigs have combined to average 6.7 offensive rebounds per game.

West Virginia will look to bounce back in their return home after suffering a 69-59 loss to Oklahoma in Norman. Senior guard Jermaine Haley led the team with 15 points in the loss, while Tshiebwe went 5-16 from the field as part of his forgetful 12 point performance.

Kansas vs West Virginia All-Time Series

These two Big 12 foes have played each other 18 times prior to Wednesday’s game, with all meetings taking place after West Virginia joined the conference in 2012. The series has been fairly lopsided, with Kansas winning 13 of those games, although each of WVU’s wins have come at home. The Mountaineers won last season’s home game in a 65-64 nail biter, with Haley laying in the deciding two points with seven seconds remaining.

Kansas Roster Notes

Junior forward/center Silvio De Sousa will not be available as he is currently serving a 12 game suspension for his role in a fight against Kansas State on January 21st.

Freshman guard Jalen Wilson is expected to use a medical redshirt due to an ankle injury.

Freshman guard Michael Jankovich is listed as questionable with an ankle injury that kept him out of action against TCU.

Senior forward Mitch Lightfoot is sitting out the season after electing to use a redshirt to postpone his final year of eligibility to next season.

West Virginia Roster Notes

Sophomore guard Sean McNeil is listed as questionable with a flu that kept him out of action against Oklahoma.

Back-to-back double-double games for Udoka Azubuike… That will earn you Big 12 Player of the Week!

And did we mention he leads the NCAA in field goal percentage ?

More → https://t.co/Ygnksd2fBr pic.twitter.com/n0tACltZdm

— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) February 10, 2020

Udoka Azubuike

Center | 7-0, 270lb | Potter’s House Christian Academy (FL) | Delta, Nigeria | Senior

13.0 PPG | 0.9 APG | 9.7 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 2.6 BPG | 2.4 TOV | .759 FG% | .000 3P%

A mountain of a man at seven feet and 280 pounds, Udoka Azubuike has been one of the most dominant low post threats in college basketball when he can stay healthy. Although he is a woeful career 41% shooter from the charity stripe, he makes up for that with his excellent shot-blocking ability, as he ranks second in the Big 12 in both total blocks and blocks per game. That, coupled with his solid rebounding skills has helped him make an impact on games, as evidenced by his 14.1 box plus/minus, which ranks second in the country.

Oscar Tshiebwe

Forward/Center | 6-9, 258lb | Kennedy Catholic HS (PA) | Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Freshman

11.5 PPG | 0.3 APG | 9.1 RPG | 0.7 SPG | 1.2 BPG | 1.9 TOV | .581 FG% | .000 3P%

As mentioned earlier, Oscar Tshiebwe is one of the best offensive rebounders in the nation. His 17.7 offensive rebound percentage is the best in the Big 12 and ranks fourth in the NCAA, with his seven-foot-five wingspan playing a key factor in his dominance on the glass. Despite not having played basketball until he was 13, Tshiebwe managed to earn McDonald’s All American honors as a high school senior, with his production translating to the college level so far.

Kansas at West Virginia Odds

The latest odds for Kansas vs West Virginia are provided by bet365 NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and 888Sport NJ.

Good luck!