West Virginia vs Kansas State 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Kansas State Wildcats will travel to WVU Coliseum to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Kansas State Wildcats lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 8-5 on the season after being defeated by the 14^th ranked Texas Longhorns, 70-57, this past Tuesday night. Kansas State led by a 35-29 margin at halftime, however, the Wildcats struggled on the offensive end in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after Texas took a 47-37 lead with 12:26 left in regulation. Kansas State shot 36.4% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Texas to shoot 45.5% from the field & 30.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Nijel Pack who had 21 points, 5 rebounds, & 3 assists.

On the season, Kansas State is averaging 69.7 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kansas State has been led by Nijel Pack (15.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Markquis Nowell (12.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.1 spg), Mark Smith (10.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg), & Selton Miguel (8.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Defensively, Kansas State is holding their opponents to an average of 61.2 ppg on 39.0% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of 1.7.

The West Virginia Mountaineers had their 8-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 11-2 on the season after being defeated by the 17^th ranked Texas Longhorns, 74-59, this past Saturday. West Virginia struggled with turnovers against Texas and could not fight back after the Longhorns went into halftime with a 39-20 lead. West Virginia shot 42.3% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Texas to shoot 42.4% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Jalen Bridges who had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, West Virginia is averaging 60.9 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.8 three-pointers per game on 32.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, West Virginia has been led by Taz Sherman (20.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg), Sean McNeil (13.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.7 apg), Jalen Bridges (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Kedrian Johnson (4.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.2 spg).

Defensively, West Virginia is holding their opponents to an average of 60.9 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers have a rebound margin of -1.1 and a turnover margin of 5.5.

The Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games & 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games. The mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Kansas State has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 35^th in scoring defense & 34^th in FG%, however, the Wildcats can have issues when it comes to scoring and currently rank just 230^th in scoring offense & 212^th in FG%. West Virginia has also been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 33^rd in scoring defense & 15^th in turnover margin, however, it’s been a struggle offensively at times for the Mountaineers as they come into this matchup ranked just t-237^th in scoring offense and are not much of a threat from beyond the arc, ranking 304^th in three-pointers made per game.

West Virginia is always a tough team to play on the road, however, Kansas State has a solid defense that I think can keep this one competitive. Kansas State is going to have a hard time pulling off the victory here, however, as I think they can limit their turnovers, I think Kansas State will keep this one within 5 points and cover with the points. Good Luck!