There are currently three teams currently vying for the potential second seed in the upcoming Big 12 basketball conference tournament. One of those three teams is going to suffer a setback in that pursuit on Wednesday.
The No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers visit the No. 10 Kansas State Wildcats with both teams sitting a game and a half behind Oklahoma for the top spot in the Big 12 standings. Certain statistics suggest the contest could be tight and relatively low-scoring.
West Virginia at Kansas State details
Wednesday will be the only meeting of these teams during the 2023-24 regular season, on which both teams will have just three more contests left to play after facing each other. Thus, the prospect of potentially losing further ground to Oklahoma in the standings is probably unpalatable for both squads.
- Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024
- Venue: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kansas
- Broadcast: ESPN+
- Previous matchup: Feb. 25, 2023, at West Virginia, 67-53 Mountaineers win
- Last 5 games: Kansas State LLWLW, West Virginia WWLWW
- Average points for: Kansas State 73.2, West Virginia 77.4
- Average points against: Kansas State 56, West Virginia 56.6
- Kansas State record: 22-4 overall, 14-0 at home, 11-3 Big 12
- West Virginia record: 22-3 overall, 6-2 on the road, 11-3 Big 12
West Virginia leads this series 18-7 and has even won eight of 11 contests played in Manhattan. The Mountaineers have also claimed seven of the last 10 and each of the last three meetings regardless of venue.
Both teams come into this contest relatively healthy for this point in the season. Although Kansas State center Ayoka Lee missed time recently, she returned in the Wildcats’ last game and played 33 minutes. Kansas State might need her to carry a heavy load again on Wednesday.
Handicapping Wildcats vs. Mountaineers
For West Virginia this season, the recipe for success has not been complicated: avoid turnovers, create turnovers, and convert them into easy offense. The Mountaineers average the second-most steals in the country per game and have the country’s sixth-best turnover ratio.
Like with West Virginia, the strength of the Wildcat offense is in the interior. However, Kansas State goes about getting there via half-court sets as opposed to setting up the offense in transition. Lee is a big part of that.
Thus, covering in this game will depend on which team is able to dictate its tempo. Either way, though, if either team is successful, they will severely limit the opportunities that the opposition has. The Wildcats counter the Mountaineers’ propensity to steal the ball with ranking seventh in the country in blocked shots per game.
For those reasons, the under is definitely in play Wednesday in this contest.
