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WVU hosts No. 8 Kansas Monday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 2/16/2015  at  12:07:00 PM
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KANSAS JAYHAWKS (21-4)

at WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (19-6)

WVU Coliseum – Morgantown, WV
Tip-off: Monday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Pick

The struggling Mountaineers look to earn a home victory over No. 8 Kansas Monday.

No. 8 Kansas hosted Baylor on Saturday and came away with a 74-64 victory as a 7.5-point favorite. The Jayhawks have now won-and-covered in two straight and three of their past four. They’ve also won seven of their past eight games SU and are averaging 73.5 PPG over their past two contests, shooting 46% or better from the field in each of those games. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, lost 79-59 as seven-point road underdogs in Iowa State on Saturday. West Virginia has now lost three of its past four games SU and the team hasn’t covered in any of those contests. Defensively, the Mountaineers have allowed 71+ points in each of their past four games and they must find a way to turn things around. These two teams last met on Mar. 8, 2014, when West Virginia won-and-covered at home in a 92-86 victory. That was the first time the Mountaineers beat the Jayhawks in school history, but the teams have only met four times. Kansas is 9-1 ATS after having won two of its past three games this season. The Jayhawks are also facing a West Virginia team that is just 4-13 ATS after having failed to cover in four or five of its past six games over the past three seasons. G Conner Frankamp (Personal) has left Kansas and is out indefinitely. F Devin Williams (Thumb) is probable for West Virginia, but F Brandon Watkins (Knee) is questionable. The Mountaineers are also without F Kevin Noreen (Undisclosed) indefinitely.

Can the Mountaineers snap out of their recent funk with a win over the Jayhawks in Morgantown Monday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have been heating up since Dec. 23, combining for a 57% ATS mark (112-85-3) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is a strong 63% ATS (25-15) during this timeframe to improve to 61% ATS (43-27) for the season. StatFox Brian is 63% ATS (22-13-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 28 to put him at 57% ATS (39-30-1) this season, while StatFox Zach is on a 59% ATS (19-13) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a 56% ATS mark (39-31) this season. StatFox Scott is a strong 59% ATS (23-16-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 23, and StatFox Dave is 5-1 ATS since Feb. 6.

Kansas has played well recently and the reason they have been able to win games this season is their ability to win on the glass. The Jayhawks are averaging 38.6 RPG (21st in NCAA) and their 12.4 offensive RPG is a major reason they’re scoring 72.2 PPG (65th in NCAA). The defensive end is where they need some work, as they’re allowing 64.2 PPG (123rd in NCAA). It has been much better in their past two games though, allowing just 57.5 PPG in those contests. F Perry Ellis (13.1 PPG, 7.) RPG) is the heart and soul of this Kansas team. He is a smooth scorer and does his work driving to the hoop and taking midrange jumpers. He’ll need to play well in this game, and is coming off of a superb 18-point and six-rebound performance against Baylor. G Frank Mason Jr. (12.2 PPG, 4.4 APG) only had five points against Baylor, but he did have his second consecutive eight-assist game. He is distributing the ball extremely well and will need to continue to find his teammates, even when he is shooting the ball better. G Wayne Selden Jr. (10.2 PPG, 3.0 APG) was outstanding against the Bears, attacking the basket whenever he could. He was getting to the free-throw line at will (8-for-9 FT) and finished with 15 points, four assists and three rebounds. Bill Self has asked Selden Jr. to attack the basket more and he should be more willing after getting to the charity stripe so easily on Saturday. F Cliff Alexander (7.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG) struggled against Baylor, finishing with just four points, five rebounds and a block in 22 minutes. He’s scored in double-digits in just one of his past six games and the Jayhawks will need him to find a way to get some buckets against a tough West Virginia team on Monday.

West Virginia has run one of the best offenses in the nation this season, averaging 75.0 PPG (30th in NCAA) on a miserable 41.2% shooting (277th in NCAA). The team has really struggled defensively though, allowing 65.8 PPG (163rd in NCAA) even though it constantly gets into passing lanes with 12.0 SPG (1st in NCAA). The guy who is always a threat on offense for this team is G Juwan Staten (14.3 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG), who really knows how to get to the charity stripe (6.0 FTA per game). Staten had 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals against Iowa State last game and he’ll need to be ready to play against Kansas in this one. The Jayhawks have an extremely talented backcourt and Staten will need to play some menacing defense in addition to his consistent offense. F Devin Williams (11.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG) will need to break out of his slump if the Mountaineers are going to get back into the win column. Williams had 20 points and 15 rebounds three games ago against Baylor, but he’s averaging just 4.5 PPG in the two games since then and is just 3-for-12 from the field in those contests. West Virginia can’t afford to have one of its top scorers shooting that poorly, so he’ll need to finish some shots around the rim early to gain some confidence in this one. His thumb, however, has been bothering him and that is the easiest way to explain his recent troubles offensively. F Jonathan Holton (8.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG) is the second-best rebounder this West Virginia team has. He will need to step his game up if Williams is still not playing like himself. The problem is that Holton has had struggles of his own, playing just 16 minutes before fouling out against Iowa State last game. He was in foul trouble the game before that as well and he must stay on the floor to help this team get rebounds. The Jayhawks are extremely active on the glass and they will blow out the Mountaineers if Holton isn’t producing.


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