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

The Mountaineers and Cavaliers both suffered through ugly losses in Fort Myers, Florida, in this neutral-site Feast Week event. WVU lost to SMU 70-58, and UVA got pounded 65-41 by Wisconsin. Both teams couldn't put the ball in the ocean from the shore, laboring through ugly offensive performances which offer considerable cause for concern in the early stages of the season.

West Virginia has an extra handicap entering this season. Bob Huggins, who is one of the great coaches of his generation, brought the end of his career upon himself for appalling off-court conduct. WVU tried really hard to find a way to retain him, but Huggins simply ran out of second chances due to one incident after another. Josh Eilert is coaching the Mountaineers this season. Moreover, guard RaeQuan Battle — who, if allowed to play, would give WVU a crucial scoring presence in the lineup — has had an eligibility appeal denied by the NCAA. He still can't take the court and is running out of options for being able to play. This leaves WVU shorthanded, in addition to being without Huggins. That's a thorny position for a team and a new head coach to inhabit. The lack of offense without Battle was evident against SMU.

Virginia has often struggled to score under head coach Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers hope to defend better than they shoot. They have been known to find ways to win ugly games. However, there are some games in which they play the ugliest game they can possibly play, and nothing can save them in such circumstances. This was the case against Wisconsin. Scoring 41 points speaks for itself. UVA played the ultimate clunker and will try to flush that game from its system in Florida for this next neutral-site test during Feast Week.

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

College Basketball Odds: West Virginia-Virginia Odds

West Virginia Mountaineers: +9.5 (-110)

Virginia Cavaliers: -9.5 (-110)

Over: 121.5 (-110)

Under: 121.5 (-110)

How To Watch West Virginia vs Virginia

Time: 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why West Virginia Could Cover the Spread

The Virginia offense can be smothered. Wisconsin showed the way. WVU might not be a particularly good offensive team, but it can certainly play defense, make this game ugly, and at the very least, stay close if not win outright. The spread is somewhat large, given that UVA doesn't score a lot and will often keep its opponents close due to its own inability to score. WVU might not win the game, but the idea that this game will be close seems pretty reasonable.

Why Virginia Could Cover the Spread

The Cavaliers were so awful against Wisconsin that there's simply nowhere else to go but up. Virginia couldn't possibly play worse in this game. Chances are the Hoos will be noticeably better versus WVU than they were against the Badgers. As long as UVA scores at least 60 points, it has a good chance of winning. If UVA scores at least 68 to 70 points, it has an excellent chance of covering the spread against a WVU team which simply lacks scoring punch without RaeQuan Battle.

Final West Virginia-Virginia Prediction & Pick

Stay away from this game, but if you want to lean in one direction, a close game is more likely than a blowout.

Final West Virginia-Virginia Prediction & Pick: West Virginia +9.5