It is the second game of the first round in the Big 12 tournament as West Virginia faces Cincinnati. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a West Virginia-Cincinnati prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
West Virginia comes into the game at 9-22 on the year while sitting 4-14 in conference play. That placed them as the 14 seed in the Big 12 tournament. They have also lost nine of their last ten games overall. The one win was against UCF at home where they took a 77-67 victory. Meanwhile, Cincinnati is 18-13 on the year, and 7-11 in conference play. They have won two of their last three, both of them at home. The first one was a two-point win over Kansas State. They then lost on the road to Oklahoma, losing by three.
Last time out, West Virginia and Cincinnati faced off. The game was tied at the 11:27 mark of the first half, but Cincinnati took off from there. They would come away with a 92-56 victory over West Virginia. That was the second game the two teams had with each other this year. The first one was a home game for West Virginia where they came away with a 69-65 victory.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia-Cincinnati Odds
West Virginia: +8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +290
Cincinnati: -8.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -375
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under:144.5 (-110)
How to Watch West Virginia vs. Cincinnati
Time: 3:00 PM ET/ 12:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why West Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
West Virginia ranks 142nd in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 156th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 156th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They currently rank 269th in points per game this year, while sitting 251st in effective shooting percentage this year. RaeQuan Battle leads the way in terms of points per game with 16.2 points per game. He has been shooting just 40.4 percent this year though. He is joined in scoring well by Jesse Edwards, who comes in with 15.0 points per game while shooting 60.3 percent from the field. Rounding out the top scorers is Quinn Slazinski, who has 12.2 points per game this year.
West Virginia comes in ranked 238th in rebounds per game this year. Still, they are 300th in defensive round percentage this year. Jesse Edwards had been the leader in rebounds with 8.2 rebounds per game this year. RaeQuan Battle is next on the team with 4.1 rebounds per game, while Quinn Slazinski and Josiah Harris both are over four rebounds per game this year.
West Virginia is 288th in opponent points per game this year while sitting 262nd in opponent effective field goal percentage. Battle has come and been a difference on the defensive end this year. He has 101 steals per game while also having .6 blocks per game. Further, Jesse Edwards has 1.7 blocks per game this year.
Why Cincinnati Will Cover The Spread/Win
Cincinnati comes in ranked 41st in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 75th in adjusted offensive efficiency but sit 19th in adjusted defensive efficiency. They are 119th in points per game this year, but sit 208th in effective field goal percentage. Still, they are a high-volume shooting team, sitting 28th in the nation in field goal attempts per game this year. Dan Skillings Jr. leads the way in points, coming in with 12.1 points per game this year, while shooting 41.3 percent from the field. Further, Day Day Thomas has 10.2 points per game, while also leading the team in assists with 3.3 per game this year. Rounding out the top scorers is Simas Lukosius, who comes in with 10.2 points per game while shooting 39.2 percent from the field.
Cincinnati is 12th in the nation in rebounding this year, sitting 38th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate and seventh in offensive rebounding rate this year. This is led by Aziz Bandaogo. He comes in with 7.6 rebounds per game this year while also having 7.2 points per game of his own. Further, Viktor Lahkin and Skillings play a role here too. Lahkin comes in with 6.4 rebounds per game, while Skillings has 6.3 rebounds per game on the year.
Cincinnati is 57th in the nation in opponent points per game this year and 45th in opponent effective field goal percentage. A big help is the presence down low. Bandaogo comes in with 1.6 blocks per game, while Lakhin has .9 blocks per game. Further, John Newman III and Day Day Thomas both have over 1.3 steals per game.
Final West Virginia-Cincinnati Prediction & Pick
These two teams just played on Saturday, with Cincinnati dominating the game. They shot well and defended wonderfully. The defense for Cincinnati will be the difference in this one. They have been solid all year long, and continue to play well. Further, the West Virginia offense has continued to struggle. The winner of this game will face Kansas on Wednesday, and that will be Cincinnati.
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Final West Virginia-Cincinnati Prediction & Pick: Cincinnati -8.5 (-110)
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