Kansas Jayhawks vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Odds, College Basketball Pick

The 18th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (15-4) will try to end a two-game losing streak when they host the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (18-1) on Tuesday as small home favorites.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 79-75 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats as 3.5-point road chalk Saturday and fell three days earlier to the Oklahoma Sooners 89-87 as 16.5-point home favorites.

Point spread: The Mountaineers opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total is at 161.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

College basketball pick, via OddsShark computer: 79-78 Jayhawks (college basketball picks on every game)

Why the Jayhawks can cover the spread

Unlike most teams, the Jayhawks will not be intimidated by going into West Virginia, although they have not won there since 2013. They have won the past two meetings with the Mountaineers overall both straight up and against the spread by exactly 10 points and also closed as favorites in the last nine games between the teams, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database.

Kansas is riding an 18-game winning streak and has not been an underdog (+2) since upsetting the Duke Blue Devils 77-75 back on November 5 in the team's second game of the season.

Why the Mountaineers can cover the spread

West Virginia has gone through a tough stretch recently, and it will not get any easier against the Jayhawks. However, the Mountaineers have won the previous three home meetings with Kansas SU and ATS despite being underdogs each time.

The loss at Kansas State was not surprising considering the Wildcats are on the verge of being ranked. Falling to Oklahoma at home is a completely different story and should help motivate the team, which can forget about its skid with a win over the Jayhawks.

Smart pick

Oddsmakers are obviously impressed with this West Virginia team; otherwise, Kansas would be a small road favorite in this spot.

Regardless, this Kansas squad has managed to cover the spread only six times during its winning streak, going 2-6 ATS in its last eight games. The Mountaineers have won the last three home meetings by an average of six points, so take them to win by at least that number to end their skid with a cover on the college basketball lines.

Betting trends

Kansas is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games.

West Virginia is 1-5 ATS in its last six games.

The total has gone under in 10 of Kansas' last 11 games on the road.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.