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Some intense Big 12 basketball action is right around the corner as the BYU Cougars go to battle with the West Virginia Mountaineers! Join us for our college basketball odds series where our BYU-West Virginia prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering the weekend as the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, the Cougars were able to avenge themselves after dropping a pair of contests in a row by coming out triumphant at home over the Texas Longhorns by a score of 84-72. Currently equipped with a 15-5 record including a 3-4 mark in conference play, can the Cougars pick up their first road win since a 63-58 victory over UCF back on Jan. 13th?
Meanwhile, West Virginia has had a season to forget as the Mountaineers sit second-to-last in the Big 12 Standings with a 3-5 record in conference and 8-13 overall. Still, there is still a whole month of the regular season to be played and West Virginia will be given an incredible opportunity to play the role of spoiler at home.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of BetRivers on Action Network.
College Basketball Odds: BYU-West Virginia Odds
BYU: -8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -420
West Virginia: +8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +310
Over: 148 (-110)
Under: 148 (-110)
How to Watch BYU vs. West Virginia
Time: 6:00 ET/3:00 PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Article Continues Below
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread/Win
In order to avoid taking West Virginia for granted and handling their business on Saturday like they should, then continuing to find creative ways to get good looks on offense may be the formula. Fresh off of cashing in on 64% of their shot attempts in the win over Texas, BYU has been flexing their offensive prowess all year long. Through the team's 20 games played up to this point, the Cougars are averaging a colossal 84.4 points per game. Of course, BYU is also elite from the perimeter as they are connecting on 36% of their three-point attempts. Combine this with their absurd ability to dish out dimes at a hectic pace along with their ability to dominate the glass, and the realization begins to set in that this offensive attack has little to no weaknesses whatsoever.
Bafflingly enough, BYU unfortunately plays within the top basketball conference in the nation. Because of this and their underwhelming 3-4 conference mark, the Cougars only sit in ninth place within the Big 12. Nevertheless, more than six teams are separated by only one game in the standings. If BYU is going to make a move upwards in this competitive-heavy conference, the Cougars will need to make it a priority to defend the three-point line themselves. While they happen to be the top-shooting team from team in all of the Big 12, they often surrender far too many open looks from way downtown. By limiting WVU's success rate on the trey ball, BYU should be able to keep the Mountaineers at bay.
Why West Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
Without a doubt, it has been a slow climb for this Mountaineers squad, but they have at least shown a ton of heart and are not the type of team to quit at any given moment. With former head coach Bob Huggins in the house for the team's come-from-behind win over Cincinnati, a finally healthy West Virginia bunch is determined to make their old coach proud in back-to-back contests.
Now under the leadership of first-year head coach Josh Eilert who happened to be a part of the Mountaineers coaching staff for more than 16 seasons, West Virginia loves to put up shots from beyond the arc just like BYU. In fact, the Mountaineers have found great success with the long ball this season as they rank third in the Big 12 in three-point field goals made per game. On paper, WVU has been holding their own against opponents at home, and they've even managed to defeat back-to-back ranked foes within the confines of WVU Coliseum. In order to stretch this streak to three, hitting open shots and taking care of the basketball will be vital.
Unfortunately, it has been the defensive end of the court that has been a struggle for the Mountaineers. After years of dominating in the form of the full-court press made famous by Bob Huggins himself, it is clear that West Virginia has taken a step back on defense this season. In general, West Virginia possesses the 12th-best scoring defense in the conference and often struggles to corral rebounds. Ultimately, making sure that the Mountaineers are finding bodies to box out and putting in a phenomenal effort to haul in loose balls will be a big-time difference-maker in this one. As long as WVU puts forth the effort, then good things will happen.
Final BYU-West Virginia Prediction & Pick
The Big 12 Conference is not for the faint of heart! Regardless, all eyes should be on this entertaining matchup between two sides that are desperate to find the win column. Eventually, it will be West Virginia and their home-court advantage that is just enough to cover the spread.
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Final BYU-West Virginia Prediction & Pick: West Virginia +8.5 (-110)
