Kansas State vs. West Virginia Picks and Predictions: Tang vs. Hodge
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Tue Jan 27, 2026, 1:20 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Two Big 12 teams meet in Morgantown for an unranked conference showdown as Jerome Tang and the Kansas State Wildcats take on Ross Hodge and his West Virginia Mountaineers. Neither has been overly impressive this season, especially not in conference play, as the Wildcats are just 1-6 since Big 12 play began. The Mountaineers are just 4-3, but do have some big wins at home under their belt. Will they make easy work of the Kitty Cats coming to town? Or can Tang's team find a way to pull off this upset? Let's find out with our favorite picks.
Best Bet: Kansas State Team Total Under 69.5 (-125) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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Kansas State Wildcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers NCAA Basketball Insights
Can Jasper Floyd and West Virginia shut down the Wildcats at home tonight?
The Wildcats are just 10-10 on the season. Things are looking grim, and it doesn't get easier playing in the Big 12. The Wildcats lost four straight during late November into December, and dropped five straight to begin conference play. Finally, they got a win over Utah at home, but followed it up by failing to compete in the Sunflower Showdown, losing by 24 to a Darryn Peterson-less Jayhawks team. Now they face one of the best defenses in the conference.
West Virginia have taken advantage of their home court. They have not lost at home in conference play, with wins over Cincinnati, Kansas and Colorado. Plus, they are coming off a big time loss to Arizona in Tucson. Surely Ross Hodge will have his guys fired up and ready to bounce back against one of the worst teams in the Big 12.
Matchup Information – Kansas State vs. West Virginia – January 27
- Venue & Location: WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, WV)
- Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2025
- Kick Off: 8:30 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: FS1
Kansas State vs. West Virginia Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of January 27, 2025 at 11:39 a.m. eastern. Sign up today with and get a $1,250 deposit bonus, as well as 50 slot spins immediately. Lucky Rebel Sportsbook offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Kansas State +8 (-111)
- West Virginia -8 (-109)
Moneyline
- Kansas State +285
- West Virginia -375
Total
- Over 146 (-113)
- Under 146 (-107)
West Virginia already plays painfully slow, and nothing should change in this one. They are built on defense, they take pride in playing tough on that side of the ball, and it should show against the Wildcats who rely on one guy to do most of their scoring.
Kansas State vs. West Virginia NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions
PJ Haggerty might need to score 30 to give the Wildcats a chance tonight
Kansas State vs. West Virginia Prediction: West Virginia Wins, Kansas State Covers, Under 146
Best Bet: Kansas State Team Total Under 69.5 (-125) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
At home in Big 12 play, the Mountaineers are the slowest team in the conference, averaging just over 62 possessions per game. But they are also No. 2 in eFG% on both sides of the ball, No. 3 in FT Rate (offense and defense), and are No. 4 in offensive rebounds allowed. It is tough to score against the Mountaineers, especially in Morgantown, and they don't give teams very many chances to do so.
They are the sixth slowest team in all of college hoops, and the Wildcats are not an offensive juggernaut at all. Kansas State relies on PJ Haggerty to score over a quarter of the team's points, and they will be missing Abdi Bashir Jr, who is their second leading scorer and best three point shooter. Things were going to be tough enough, now scoring seems like an impossible task.
Ultimately, this is just a terrible spot for Kansas State. You are on the road at one of the toughest places to win in the conference, against one of the best defensive teams. You are missing your second best bucket getter, and your hosts are back at home after a loss. Not to mention you just expelled plenty of emotional energy by letting your rival walk all over you at home.
While the Wildcats score 70+ in most of their games, they have not seen a team as slow or as good defensively this season. The only comparable team is Seton Hall, where they only scored 67 in a loss at home. In Morgantown, it will be even tougher to put the ball in the hoop.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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