Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. No. 3 Kansas

The West Virginia Mountaineers (19-13) will face the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks (25-6) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Championship Thursday afternoon with tipoff set for 3:00 p.m. EST and airing on ESPN.

Schuyler Callihan: Kansas 79, West Virginia 73

At some point, WVU is going to defeat Kansas at Kansas. At some point, WVU is going to defeat Kansas in the Big 12 tournament. Unfortunately for Mountaineer fans, neither will happen this season.

However, I do believe this is WVU's best chance to do so in the Big 12 tounrament. They have several guys that can knock down shots and if Erik Stevenson remains hot, they'll certainly have a chance.

The big key in this one for WVU is limiting Kansas' three-point making. The Jayhawks turn the ball over a ton regardless of result, but in their five conference losses, they shot just 27% from deep. In their two wins over West Virginia, they shot 21/44 (47%). If Gradey Dick and Dajuan Harris are making shots, it's going to be a long day for WVU.

I'll take Kansas.

Christopher Hall: Kansas 81 West Virginia 76

The Mountaineers meet the third-ranked team in the country less than 24 hours after handling Texas Tech Wednesday night.

West Virginia had an opportunity to beat Kansas in Lawrence nearly two weeks ago, falling by just two points and had the ball on the final possession of the game. It was a stark contrast from the first meeting in Morgantown where the Jayhawks controlled the game throughout.

West Virginia is playing its best basketball at the right time and proved they can compete with the best teams in the country. However, even though this is supposed to be a neutral site, the Jayhawk fans are a 45-minute drive from the venue and will undoubtedly fill the seats for their first game of the tournament.

I think Kansas jumps out to a double-digit advantage to start the game, and although the Mountaineers battle back, Kansas' talent wins out in the end and moves on the semifinals 81-76.

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