No. 14 West Virginia Mountaineers and No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners are neck and neck in the Big 12 regular season title race with both teams sharing an identical 7-2 conference record. But with back-to-back games against top 25 teams ahead, including Saturday’s matchup with No. 15 Baylor, can the Mountaineers hold on and keep themselves close with the Sooners?
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our preview Purdue vs. Maryland.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Baylor Bears vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
Where: WVU Coliseum, Evansdale
When: Saturday, February 6, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Baylor Bears vs. West Virginia Mountaineers – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Baylor Bears (17-5, 6-3 Big 12)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] Baylor wasted an opportunity to add a quality win to its resume, as the Bears suffered a 67-59 home loss to Texas on Monday. While that’s a bitter loss for the Bears, they don’t have much time to sulk about it as they have West Virginia ahead on their schedule.
For now, Baylor will have to find a way to recover its shooting touch after going 35.2 percent (19-for-54) from the field against the Longhorns. The Bears are averaging 78.9 points per game on the season but the 59-point production they managed in the Texas game was the fewest they had mustered thus far. Baylor’s leading scorers Taurean Prince and Rico Gathers had their usual numbers in that game, scoring 18 and 20 points, respectively, but the duo of Al Freeman and Johnathan Motley combined for just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Freeman and Motley will have to do better to ease some the pressure of Prince and Gathers, who’ll likely have targets on their back against the Mountaineers high-pressure defense.
Baylor are second in the nation in assists with 19.9 dimes per game, and this crisp ball movement will be key in breaking the Mountaineers’ dreaded ball pressure defense. Baylor likes to find open teammates in the perimeter, as the Bears are second in the nation in assisted two-point jumpers (66.8%) and 44th in midrange shots percentage (40.3%).
Baylor has West Virginia’s number over the past couple of seasons, as the Bears are 4-0 SU and ATS in the last four meetings with the Mountaineers.
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (18-4, 7-2 Big 12)
After receiving a giant pie in the face last week by losing to Florida, the Mountaineers bounced right back by beating No. 12 Iowa State on Tuesday, 81-76. Another ranked opponent awaits them this Saturday, as WVU plays host to Baylor.
West Virginia’s frenetic defense poses a big threat to Baylor with the Mountaineers forcing their opponents to commit 19.4 turnovers per game, the most in the nation. That doesn’t sound good for Baylor, which makes 12.3 errors each contest.
The Mountaineers also have an advantage over Baylor, at least on paper, in terms of rebounding. West Virginia collars 40.4 rebounds per game, while Baylor averages 38.7. Boxing out somebody like the Bears’ Rico Gathers (leads Big 12 with 10.4 RP), isn’t going to be easy, but WVU has two players in Devin Williams and Jonathan Holton ranking inside the top five in the conference in rebounds with 8.9 RPG and 7.5 RPG, respectively.
Jaysean Paige, who scored 23 points off the bench against Iowa State, tops WVU with 14.0 PPG, while Williams chips in 13.2 a game.
West Virginia, which averages 81.0 PPG, is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
Baylor upsets West Virginia, 71-69.
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