Game Primer: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for West Virginia at Kansas

Everything you need to know as the Jayhawks take on the Mountaineers to kick off conference play.

The Kansas Jayhawks start conference play this week at home, looking to get their first win over a team ranked in the Top 25 this year. That opponent is the West Virginia Mountaineers, who are off to a hot start this season.

The Mountaineers are led by 1st-year head coach Mark Kellogg, who has a perfect 11-0 record at the school. He has coached 19 total years, amassing a record of 456-120. He has never faced the Jayhawks, while head coach Brandon Schneider has a 3-13 record against the Mountaineers. 

The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 17-7, but the Jayhawks have won 3 of the last 4, including both matchups in Lawrence in the last two seasons.

Before today's important matchup, here are the essentials:

The Numbers

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are provided by CBB Analytics. CBB Analytics is a new stats website in college hoops, covering both men and women's basketball in D-I, D-II and D-III. You can follow them on Twitter @CBBAnalytics

Kansas: 7-4: CBB Analytics Net Rating - 75th overall, 70th offense, 99th defense

#25 West Virginia: 11-0: Net Rating - 11th overall, 35th offense, 3rd defense

Line: KU -1.5

O/U: 132.5

How to Watch

Saturday, December 30th, 12:00 p.m. CST

Lawrence, KS: Allen Fieldhouse

TV: Big 12 NOW on ESPN+

- Josh Klingler (Play-by-Play), Jill Dorsey-Hall (Analyst)

Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

- Steven Davis (Play-by-Play), David Lawrence (Analyst)

Webcast: Kansas Online Radio

Game Coverage

Follow along during the game for live updates on Twitter.

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Opponent Team Form

The Mountaineers have taken full advantage of playing all but one game at home, putting together one of the best defenses in the nation while maintaining a very strong offensive showing. It's hard to find something to point to as a weakness. The closest thing would be that they don't hit the boards as well as you might expect, sitting in the middle of the pack on both sides of the ball. 

One big thing to worry about is there tendency to turn over their opponents. They lead the nation in steals per game, and rank second in points off of turnovers. They get to the free throw line often, even though they struggle to make those free points. They score a bunch in the paint, which is at least partially explained by their tendency to get out on the fast break.

The only potential knock on this team is that they have racked up these impressive stats by avoiding a lot of top tier games. They traveled to Pittsburgh early in the season, but the only marquee victory is an 18-point win over Penn State at home. 

Players to Watch

Ja'Naiya Quinerly - 5'8" Junior Guard

19.5 pts, 3.3 rebs, 3.5 asts, 3.5 stls, 37.0% 3P%

Quinerly is by far the leading scorer for this team, and basically does a bit of everything. She shoots well from both inside and outside the arc, is an excellent ballhandler, and hits the boards pretty well.

Jordan Harrison - 5'6" Sophomore Guard

13.6 pts, 3.8 rebs, 6.2 asts, 2.8 stls,  62.7% 2P%

Harrison is the primary ballhandler, looking to facilitate scoring from others just as much as she takes her own shot. She is an excellent free throw shooter and gets the line more than anyone else.

Kyah Watson - 5'10" Junior Guard

7.4 pts, 5.7 rebs, 1.3 asts, 2.1 stls, 59.2% eFG%

Watson doesn't really look to score and is more of a defensive specialist. She hits the boards better than anyone else on the team. She disrupts passing lanes and will make life difficult for anyone on the perimeter.

Matchups to Watch

It's hard to know how this one is going to go, because Kansas will look to go inside early and often. On paper, West Virginia doesn't have a great inside presence, so that would seem to hint that Taiyanna Jackson should be successful. But Kansas has struggled at times to get the ball into the paint in the past, so that might be harder than you might think.

The Jayhawks also have an issue with turnovers so far this season. The ball-handling abilities of Zakiyah Franklin and Wyvette Mayberry will be tested, and the key number to watch will be the difference in turnovers. If Kansas can keep them within 5, then it should be a pretty good day.

Prediction

The last Top-25 level team to come to town was the last opponent, and Kansas shook off an early slump to run away with the victory. West Virginia is a better team, but the Jayhawks have faced a much tougher slate this season and performed fairly well without being at full strength. S'mya Nichols has broken out of her freshman slump and should continue with another big performance, while the interior game should be able to pick up after an adjustment period.

Kansas 69, West Virginia 66.

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