Score Predictions for West Virginia at Kansas State

Picks for tonight's game.

The West Virginia Mountaineers are on the road to take on the Kansas State Wildcats Monday at 7:00 pm and will be televised on ESPN2. 

Schuyler Callihan: Kansas State 71, West Virginia 63

After Saturday's shellacking, it's hard to see the Mountaineers bouncing back just two days later and picking up a road win in the Big 12. This team in particular does so many things wrong that holds them back from even giving themselves a chance to win games. 

The number one issue, in my opinion, is passing. It's easy to point out a bad pass but what has really stood out to me is the decision-making of some of these passes. Why would a guard start to bring the ball up and then pass it to a non-ballhandling center up the floor where there are three defenders around him? That happened on Saturday at least twice. 

Another glaring issue is the number of good looks this team allows near the rim. Yes, part of that is due to what Huggs likes to call "getting big-boyed" but a lot of it is guards blowing right by their defender to the cup. That's where I see WVU having trouble in this game. Nijel Pack (17.7 ppg) and Markquis Nowell (11.5 ppg) will drive it right at the goal and have success doing so.

Christopher Hall: Kansas State 66 West Virginia 61

West Virginia matches up well against Kansas State, as they did against Oklahoma State on Saturday. However, the scout is out on the Mountaineers, and it was evident in the loss over the weekend. They have no inside presence. Of course, it's been noticeable from the outset of the season, but now, teams are giving the ball to their bigs and backing their way the basket for an easy two. 

On the other end of the floor, the offense has been horrendous and it's been a glaring issue all season. Most of the production has come from guards Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil, but the lack of inside presence is evident on both ends of the floor. 

The Mountaineers have lost eight of the nine games, and in the eight losses, WVU has shot 35.9% from three, including 29.3% from three-point range. 

Until West Virginia finds a way to deny the entry pass and figures out a way to get better looks on the offensive end, the losses will continue to pile up, despite the matchup. K-State grabs the win 66-61. 

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