West Virginia hosts No. 3 Kansas on Saturday night as both teams are off to quite different starts to begin Big 12 play. Kansas comes into Saturday at 2-0 in conference play, squeaking out wins at home against Oklahoma State and on the road against Texas Tech. The Mountaineers are 0-2 in conference play after having a poor second half against Kansas State and then losing to Oklahoma State — both on the road.
We give our predictions for the game:
Wesley Shoemaker: West Virginia is in desperation as they face what is a must-win against Kansas. The Mountaineers will look to beat the Jayhawks for the first time since 2021. West Virginia has fared well over the years when hosting Bill Self and company. The Mountaineers will be without point guard Kedrian Johnson and I think that will have a large impact. That leaves one true point guard with playing experience on this team in Joe Toussaint. Behind him would be freshman Josiah Davis or the Mountaineers would turn to Erik Stevenson at the point, a place I am not sure they want him to be. Ultimately Kansas’ three-point shooting will make or break this game. And I think without Johnson, Kansas will be able to have better looks as the Mountaineers will be without their defensive leader. It will be a close one, but Kansas gets it done late.
Kansas 81, West Virginia 76
Aaron Parker: Despite being a Blue Blood, the WVU Coliseum has not been fond to Kansas over the years, as the Mountaineers have taken down the Jayhawks six times in Morgantown since 2014. For the first time since WVU has joined the conference, the Mountaineers will be tasked with taking down a Kansas team that are defending National Champs. The Jayhawks are talented as always and have a high-powered offense with Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick, Duane Harris, and others. The Mountaineers are coming off two tough road losses, but a sold-out, gold-rush crowd will help WVU get reinforcements. Despite the electric crowd, I think Kansas’s guard play will be too much for WVU, as Kedrian Johnson will be unavailable. I think an early second-half run by the Jayhawks will help push them over the struggling Mountaineers.
Kansas 77, West Virginia 67
Matt Natriello: West Virginia finally returns to the coliseum for their first home Big 12 game of the season. Coming off of two heart breaking losses, WVU should be looking to make a statement that they are as good as they were in non-conference play. Kansas is a tough test to prove that in, but while they are undefeated in conference play they won their two games by a combined five points and have not looked invincible. In front of a sold out crowd, the Mountaineers pull off the upset and get back on track.
West Virginia 75, Kansas 71
