Kansas Jayhawks vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction & Match Preview - February 6, 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball
The No. 23 Kansas Jayhawks (12-6, Big 12 Conf 6-4) will face the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers (12-5, Big 12 Conf 5-3) in a Big 12 rematch this Saturday.
Both teams faced each other in December, as Kansas came out on top with a 79-65 win over West Virginia.
The Kansas Jayhawks look slightly different this time around. In previous years, they have always remained in the top 3 for Big 12 standings. Sitting under the Oklahoma Sooners, the program currently ranks 5th with a 6-4 conference record.
Meanwhile, the West Virginia Mountaineers overcame their slow start in Tuesday night's game against Iowa State to secure a 76-72 win.
Match Details
Fixture: No. 23 Kansas Jayhawks vs No. 17 West Virginia - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, February 6th, 2021 2:00 p.m. ET
Venue: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
Kansas Jayhawks Preview
The Kansas Jayhawks will look to remain inside AP's top 25 rankings with a win over West Virginia on Saturday night.
The Jayhawks are coming off their 74-51 beatdown victory over their rivals, Kansas State, at home. They needed the win after suffering a loss to Tennessee last weekend.
The Kansas Jayhawks' starters registered double figures as Christian Braun led the team in scoring with 18 points. The team will look to have all starters in sync when they travel to Morgantown on Saturday.
Key Player - Christian Braun
The last time the West Virginia Mountaineers faced the Kansas Jayhawks, Christian Braun came up big, scoring 22 points and connecting on 6 three-pointers.
The team defeated West Virginia, 79-65, on December 22 in the teams' first rivalry matchup for the season.
Braun is still developing in his role at point guard for coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. However, he is the guy that gets things going for the team when needed most. The senior guard made 4 threes to go along with his 22-point game in the win against Kansas State.
Braun will look to replicate that when he matches up against West Virginia's guard Miles McBride.
West Virginia's Predicted Line-up
G Christian Braun, G David McCormack, F Ochai Agbaji, G Marcus Garrett, F Jalen Wilson
West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
The West Virginia Mountaineers come into this game as the second-placed team in the Big 12 standings. The team's hard-fought win against Iowa State was much-needed after their home loss to Florida.
Bob Huggins' team is averaging 75.7 points per game and is one of the best offenses in college basketball this season. But what makes this team so great?
As opposed to West Virginia's recent era, known as "Press-Virginia" due to Bob Huggins' emphasis on the team's stifling defense, this team is a little different.
This year's West Virginia Mountaineers team is a killer on the offensive glass. The team is 8th overall with a 36.5 offensive rebound percentage. The team came up with 18 offensive rebounds the last time they played the Kansas Jayhawks and will look to duplicate that on Saturday.
Key Player - Miles McBride
When West Virginia knocked off Texas Tech - one of college basketball's best teams - last week, Miles McBride's name was written all over the win. The starting guard hit the game-winning shot, going 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from beyond the arc in the second half to help his team to the victory.
McBride leads his team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists. With a size advantage over smaller guards, McBride can create for himself any time he wants. He can pull up quickly off the dribble or just size up his defender in the paint to score.
West Virginia's Predicted Line-up
F Jalen Bridges, G Miles McBride, F Derek Culver, G Taz Sherman, G Jordan McCabe
Kansas Jayhawks vs West Virginia Prediction
This game will likely go down to the wire. The West Virginia Mountaineers have been in scintillating form offensively and will be looking to maintain their momentum against the Kansas Jayhawks.
The Mountaineers have had some success playing the Jayhawks at home and are expected to win this Big 12 matchup as well.
Where to watch Kansas Jayhawks vs West Virginia
The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports.