The Pitt Panthers take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Pitt West Virginia prediction and pick. Find how to watch Pitt West Virginia.

The Pitt Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers are both struggling. Both teams have lost three of their last four games. Pitt has lost to Florida, Missouri and Clemson. WVU has lost to SMU, Virginia and St. John's. Pittsburgh found a winning formula last season under coach Jeff Capel, but duplicating that feat was always going to be difficult, and we are seeing why right now. At a school which doesn't have the same basketball reputation as Kansas or Kentucky, the expectation of automatic success isn't nearly as realistic. Being able to reload after a strong NCAA Tournament season can't be assumed or taken for granted. Pitt is running into that reality. Opponents have been able to contain the Panthers' offense and get this team out of rhythm.

West Virginia's problems this season are less about roster management — though that is certainly an issue — and more about the coaching situation. Bob Huggins essentially fired himself for inappropriate conduct. The longtime coach with Hall of Fame credentials simply behaved horribly and left West Virginia with no choice but to replace him. WVU obviously and rationally wanted to keep him aboard, but Huggins made that impossible. Josh Eilert is being thrown into the fire as Huggins' replacement this season, and that was always going to be challenge. Eilert had to retain what he could from the roster, but more than that, he had to display a level of tactical acumen on par with what Huggins provided if West Virginia was going to max out this season. Naturally, one should never have expected that. West Virginia struggles to score and will have to find ways of getting more from its offense as the season continues.

Here are the Pitt-West Virginia College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Pitt-West Virginia Odds

Pitt Panthers: -3.5 (-115)

West Virginia Mountaineers: +3.5 (-105)

Over: 138.5 (-110)

Under: 138.5 (-110)

How To Watch Pitt vs West Virginia

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN2

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Pitt Could Cover the Spread

The Panthers have not played particularly well over their last four games, but if you are going to compare these two teams, West Virginia has been worse. Pitt has lost to Florida and Clemson in recent weeks. Those two teams look like NCAA Tournament-level teams. West Virginia has lost to SMU and St. John's in recent weeks. Those two teams are worse than Florida and Clemson. Comparing the schedules, West Virginia has been losing to a lower quality of opponent. Pittsburgh should be able to play strong defense and lock down West Virginia's very limited offense. The game doesn't figure to be pretty, but West Virginia has even more flaws than Pittsburgh does, so that's where you need to pounce on this betting play.

Why West Virginia Could Cover the Spread

The Mountaineers get Pitt at home. This is a fierce rivalry, the basketball equivalent of what the Backyard Brawl is in football. Pittsburgh might be a slightly better team, but that not-very-large advantage is canceled out by WVU's home court. WVU can also lose this game by three points and still cover. There's a very decent chance this game will go down to the wire.

Final Pitt-West Virginia Prediction & Pick

This is a rivalry game between mediocre teams. Stay away from this kind of situation.

Final Pitt-West Virginia Prediction & Pick: Pitt -3.5