Can the Kansas Jayhawks complete season sweep over West Virginia on Saturday?

After a win against TCU on Monday, the Kansas men’s basketball team will look to make its win streak six games against West Virginia on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.

The two teams last met in January, with the Jayhawks beating WVU 76-62 at WVU Coliseum. KU has won the last four matchups.

The Mountaineers enter off an 85-67 win over Oklahoma State on Monday. They are a physical team led by an elite offense, plus a sharpshooting guard the Jayhawks will have to run off the arc.

Below is a scouting report and prediction of the game.

Saturday’s game: No. 3 Kansas vs. West Virginia

When/where: 3 p.m., Allen Fieldhouse

TV/Streaming: ESPN

Opponent’s record: 16-12, 5-10 Big 12

KenPom (Ken Pomeroy) Ranking: 20

All statistics are from KenPom.com, Hoop-Math.com and EvanMiya. KenPom stats only include Division I competition.

West Virginia Team Strengths

• Offensively sound: West Virginia ranks 17th in adjusted offensive efficiency (116.7). Adjusted offensive efficiency measures a team’s points per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent.

• Live at the line: The Mountaineers do an excellent job drawing fouls. They rank 14th in free throw rate (41.3%).

• Board crashers: WVU ranks 26th in offensive rebounding rate (34%) and averages 11.3 offensive rebounds per game.

West Virginia Team Weaknesses

• Foul heavy: West Virginia struggles to play defense without fouling. WVU ranks 341st in opposing team free throw rate (40.7%).

• Limited beyond the arc: West Virginia ranks 241st in three-point attempt percentage (35.9). Only 28.7% of their total points distribution is by threes, ranking 250th.

• New faces: This West Virginia team doesn’t have many players from last season. The team ranks 332nd in minutes continuity percentage (17). Minutes continuity is determined by what percentage of a team’s minutes are played by the same player from last season to this season.

West Virginia Name to Know

6-foot-4 senior guard Erik Stevenson (No. 10)

+ Sharpshooter; he shoots 40% from three

+ Quick hands (one steal per game)

- Not much of a passer (2.3 assists per game)

- Turnover prone (2.1 turnovers per game)

Tale of the Tape

Stevenson has been red hot on offense as of late. On this play, Stevenson sidestepped to create space and drained the three.

Last game, KU did a great job of limiting Stevenson by getting into his airspace, face-guarding him and running him off the three-point line. The key to KU’s team success involves replicating its success against Stevenson.

WVU does an excellent job of forcing opponents to commit turnovers and converting them into buckets. In this play, West Virginia forward Tre Mitchell blew up the Baylor pass, raced down the court and dunked the basketball.

Kansas needs to make smart, timely passes to avoid turnovers and get back in transition as quickly as possible. WVU not only shoots 69% at the rim in transition, but that number improves to 81% if it’s within the first 10 seconds after a steal.

Game Prediction

KU comes into the game off five straight wins, including a tough 63-58 victory over TCU on Monday. The No. 3 Jayhawks (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) are tied for first place in the conference with Texas, so this is a must-win for Kansas.

The last time KU played West Virginia, it excelled at keeping the physical Mountaineers off the boards and won the rebounding battle, which was pivotal. The Jayhawks need to replicate that on Saturday.

The Kansas defense’s primary concern should be to lock up Stevenson, who can get red-hot and score in bunches. Look for KU to try to key in on the guard and force his other teammates to score.

Kansas has the advantage on the offensive end, as the Mountaineers don’t have the personnel to limit the Jayhawks — as long as they share the scoring load.

Overall, I like KU in this one. I think the Jayhawks are the better team on both ends, so I don’t think this game will be particularly close.

Kansas 78, WVU 65

Shreyas’ season record: 12-7

Shreyas’ record against the spread: 11-8

KU Player to Watch: Jalen Wilson

Kansas forward Jalen Wilson struggled against TCU on Monday night. He finished with seven points on 3-for-11 shooting from the floor, and a few defensive lapses led to wide-open Horned Frogs shots.

Look for Wilson to bounce back on Saturday. The forward has only scored in the single digits one other time this season (two points vs. Texas), and the next game, he dropped 18 points against Oklahoma. I expect Wilson’s defensive effort and focus to improve vs. WVU because he’s usually solid on the defensive end.

If Wilson brings his typical scoring and solid defense on Saturday, then KU should have no problem walking out of Allen Fieldhouse with its sixth straight victory and fifth consecutive win over West Virginia.