Kansas vs West Virginia Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 9 Big 12 Tournament (Jayhawks Outlast Mountaineers)

Kansas vs West Virginia Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Big 12 Tournament Game
• No. 3 Kansas (25-6, 13-5 Big 12) vs. West Virginia (19-13, 7-11 Big 12)
• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: T-Mobile Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
• Coverage: ESPN Networks

The Big 12 Conference Tournament continues on Thursday with a quarterfinals round matchup between the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks and No. 8 seed West Virginia Mountaineers. The Mountaineers will look to upset the Jayhawks after thumping Texas Tech in a 78-72 rout yesterday.

Can West Virginia stay hot and take down Kansas? Or will the Jayhawks advance to the semifinals with a win over the Mountaineers?

Kansas vs West Virginia Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: KANSAS: (-160) | WVU: (+132)
• Spread: KANSAS: -3.5 (-106) | WVU: +3.5 (-114)
• Total: 149.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

To nobody's surprise, Kanas is favored on the spread and moneyline in this one, although not by as much as one would think for a 1-seed vs. 8-seed matchup. That means decent value for Jayhawks bettors and not a ton of upside for those backing an upset. This game also has an over/under of 149.5 points for bettors to consider.

Kansas vs West Virginia Betting Trends

• Kansas is 14-17-0 against the spread this season.
• The Jayhawks have an ATS record of 7-12 as 3.5-point favorites or greater.
• There have been 15 Kansas' games (out of 31) that went over the total this year.
• West Virginia has covered the spread 17 times in 31 games.
• As 3.5-point underdogs or more, the Mountaineers are 4-2 against the spread.
• West Virginia has seen 21 of its 31 games hit the over.

Kansas Rank	Kansas AVG		West Virginia AVG	West Virginia Rank
87th	75.6	Points Scored	76.8	58th
123rd	68.2	Points Allowed	70.8	199th
76th	33.5	Rebounds	31.6	186th
181st	8.6	Off. Rebounds	10.1	53rd
212th	7.1	3pt Made	7.4	182nd
10th	16.9	Assists	13.2	165th
175th	11.8	Turnovers	12.4	231st

Kansas vs West Virginia Prediction & Pick

As noted, West Virginia won easily against Texas Tech yesterday, which meant the Mountaineers were able to rest their starters a bit at the end of the game in preparation for Thursday's clash against Kansas.

They're going to need it, as Kansas is a powerhouse this year. The Jayhawks surged to the finish line by winning nine of their last 11 games, taking down ranked opponents like Kansas State, Texas, Baylor and TCU along the way.

That makes this well-rested Kansas team a scary matchup for West Virginia, who lost both of their games against the Jayhawks during the regular season. The second game (76-74) was much closer than the first (76-62), however, suggesting the Mountaineers should be able to hang tough in this one.

West Virginia will keep things close, but Kansas should be able to use its fresh legs to pull away late and prevail in the end.

Final Score Prediction: Kansas: 78 | West Virginia: 72

Kansas vs West Virginia Best Bet

The Jayhawks have played a number of close games recently, but we still like their chances of covering the spread. Winning by at least four points isn't a lot to ask from a No. 1 seed, especially since Kansas has a clear advantage on defense. The Jayhawks rank ninth in KenPom's adjusted defensive rating while the Mountaineers rank 51st, which is more than enough to compensate for West Virginia's slight edge on offense.

Don't be surprised if the Mountaineers run out of gas and miss key shots as the game winds down, enabling the Jayhawks to cover.

Bet: Kansas Jayhawks -4 (-110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.