Read below for a full Kansas vs West Virginia prediction and preview.
These two programs face off in the Big 12 conference opener, hoping to end 2024 on a positive note. Kansas leads the all-time series 21-7, but West Virginia won the most recent test. West Virginia has never beaten Kansas in Lawrence.
Game Information:
Teams: No. 7 Kansas (9-2) and West Virginia (9-2)
Tip Time: 1 PM CST (2 PM EST)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: Jayhawk Radio Network
Latest on West Virginia basketball:
West Virginia comes into conference play with a 9-2 record that includes wins over Gonzaga, Arizona, and Georgetown. They have been led by Javon Small who is averaging nearly 20 points per game, including 31 in that win over Gonzaga. The big question is who will be the number 2 option. That should be Tucker DeVries, but he is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. We haven’t gotten a clear answer in the two games he’s been out, but hopefully, for West Virginia, someone will step up against a good Kansas defense.
Sincere Harris has been a monster defensively. EvanMiya, an analytical model, ranks him as the 13th best defender in the country. His primary assignment will be Zeke Mayo, but they’ll switch him onto any guard. He is negative on offense, so if they start to go down big time, he might see his minutes diminished for a more offense-focused guard.
Joseph Yesufu will also have a chance for revenge on his former team. He’s had a quiet year but has seen his minutes increase since the DeVries injury. He might be able to offer a few tips he learned from his time in coach Self’s system.
West Virginia is led by first-year head coach Darian DeVries. After last season, a 9-2 start is glorious, but he’ll need to prove himself in conference play in a tough conference. No better way to do that than a road win against Kansas.
West Virginia has thrived in blocks per game, ranked 6th in the nation at 6 a game. They also make free throws at a high rate, averaging 77.8% a game, the 26th-best in the country.
Latest on Kansas basketball:
After that 0-2 week on the road against Creighton and Missouri, Kansas has had no issues in their last two games. They beat NC State by 15 at home, then followed that up with a 34-point win against Brown. After a quiet stretch, Zeke Mayo turned it up last week, with 26 points in the first game, and 25 in the second. If Kansas wants to win comfortably on New Year’s Eve, they’ll need another big game from him.
Hunter Dickinson has also been tremendous in those past two games. West Virginia has good defensive bigs, but he can prove to be too much for them with his post moves and size. They’ll play through him without a doubt, and while Self has tried to limit Dickinson’s minutes to give him extended rest, there shouldn’t be a scenario where he is out for more than 3 minutes unless this team is comfortably in the lead. Expect at least 15 points and 10 rebounds from the Kansas star in this one.
The big question continues to be whether AJ Storr or Rylan Griffen can finally step up. Both were good against Brown, but nowhere near where they want them to be at this point of the season. Perhaps the long break will help them get in rhythm and raise this Kansas team’s ceiling.
As mentioned earlier, West Virginia is 0-9 at Allen Fieldhouse. While it’s doable, it’ll certainly be an uphill battle to break that curse, especially without DeVries.
Kansas has never lost the conference opener in the Bill Self era. They haven’t lost the opener in 33 years and don’t plan on starting this year.
Kansas vs West Virginia Prediction: Kansas by 13
[…] The Hoyas’ two losses on the season have come against power five opponents, one at home to Notre Dame and on the road at West Virginia. However, the blowout loss to Notre Dame came in just the second week of the season and the country is aware of the talented WVU side that took down Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. […]