Big 12 Conference basketball continues from Texas and on ESPN 2. The West Virginia Mountaineers (15-10) will make the road trip to face the No. 9 Baylor Bears (19-6) in Waco as the night of action draws to a close. Baylor looks to continue streaking against a pesky West Virginia team. Check out our college basketball odds series for our West Virginia-Baylor prediction and pick.
The West Virginia Mountaineers are third-to-last in the Big 12 and looking ahead to a tough schedule to close out the season. They'll be hanging on by a thread as they try to keep their tournament hopes alive. Coming into this one, the Mountaineers were reeling after their win over No. 11 Iowa State, but will have to shake their last game off after losing to Texas by 34 points. They'll have an equally tough test in the Baylor Bears as they try to get the major upset on the road.
The Baylor Bears are 9-1 in their last games and have been winning convincingly with their only loss in that stretch coming in a close game against Texas. Baylor has done swimmingly when facing Big 12 opponents and are a force when playing in Waco as they sit only one game behind leading Texas. They'll be looking for a fourth consecutive win as they host the Mountaineers.
Here are the West Virginia-Baylor college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia-Baylor Odds
West Virginia: +7.5 (-114)
Baylor: -7.5 (-106)
Over: 148.5 (-106)
Under: 148.5 (-114)
How To Watch West Virginia vs. Baylor
TV: ESPN 2
Stream: ESPN App, fuboTV
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why West Virginia Could Cover The Spread
West Virginia would have liked to enjoy more success throughout the season and with a tough remaining schedule, they'll have to pick up their play to be deserving of a tournament spot. The Mountaineers have struggled both on offense and defense this year. With only four players averaging double-digits, they often lack options when their main scoring option is locked up or not shooting well. They play good defense on the perimeter, but have trouble defending the paint once opponents penetrate.
The Mountaineers have been bad on the road at 2-6 SU. They're 2-8 SU when listed as the underdog and barely cover on the road at 3-5 ATS. The Mountaineers will have to bounce back from a terrible defensive performance in which Texas scored the ball however they wanted. They'll also need great shooting from three in order to steal the win on the road in what would be a huge upset.
Why Baylor Could Cover The Spread
The Baylor Bears have been one of the more consistent teams in college basketball. They win big when they're supposed to and keep games close when they're being outplayed. They're 3-1 as underdogs and love to play at home, but are fully capable of coming into an opponent's building and beating them by 20. They'll have a big advantage as they're still hot after their last four games. Keyonte George continues to be incredible and has been seeing a huge aid from guard Adam Flagler. If the Baylor bears can get out running, West Virginia won't have much of a chance.
Baylor is 12-2 overall at home. They're 8-6 ATS when playing at home and have already beaten this West Virginia team once before. In that game, the Bears were able to lockdown on defense in the final five minutes and close out the game with free throws. Playing this one in Waco, I think that the Bears will have a great spot against a struggling West Virginia team.
Final West Virginia-Baylor Prediction & Pick
The first meeting between these teams was only a five-point differential. However, they've gone in opposite directions since and Baylor has been the much hotter team. I think the Bears will be oozing with confidence in this game as West Virginia continues to struggle shooting the ball. My prediction is that Baylor does enough in the final stretch to cover the spread, hopefully with the help of some garbage free throws.
Final West Virginia-Baylor Prediction & Pick: Baylor Bears -7.5 (-106)