This season has been full of disappointments for Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers (+100,000 to win the national title). If they are going to make it to the national tournament, they will have to win the one in the Big 12. Will they pass the first test in the conference tournament? Or will the Oklahoma Sooners (+15,000) slam the door shut on West Virginia?
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Betting Preview for the West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Oklahoma Sooners College Basketball Game on March 13, 2019
Where: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
When: Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 9:00 PM ET
Line: West Virginia Mountaineers (odds) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (12-19 Overall / 4-14 Conference)
The Mountaineers were not able to build on their huge upset win over the Iowa State Cyclones at home last week, as they dropped a game in Stillwater in an 85-77 road loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Despite the loss, the Mountaineers managed to flex their muscle on the glass. They outrebounded Oklahoma State, 40-32, including 13 offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers’ ability to control the board is crucial to their performance in the Big 12 Tournament, especially against Oklahoma, which is right behind them in the rebounding category in the conference. West Virginia leads the Big 12 with 43.2 rebounds per game, while the Sooners pull down 42.0 per contest. West Virginia outrebounded the Sooners in each of these teams’ two meetings in the regular season, including in the Mountaineers’ 79-71 home win over Oklahoma on Feb. 2. The Mountaineers are also shooting the light out from deep of late, having made 24 3-pointers in their last two games.
The over is 5-0 in West Virginia’s last five games.
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners (19-12 Overall / 7-11 Conference)
After back -to-back wins, the Sooners failed to close out the season with a three-game winning streak when they lost to the Kansas State Wildcats on the road on Mar. 9, 68-53. Prior to that, the Sooners defeated the Mountaineers on Mar. 2 at home, 92-80, and the Kansas Jayhawks on Mar. 5 also at home, 81-68. Kansas State’s defense proved to be too much for the Sooners, who shot just 41.5 percent from the field and hit just five of 17 attempts from behind the arc. The Sooners should expect a lighter opposing defense in the first round of the Big 12 tourney, as West Virginia is just 287th in the nation with 76.8 points allowed per game. In Oklahoma’s win over the Mountaineers, the Sooners even shot 59.2 percent from the floor and went 10-for-21 from distance. Still, the Sooners need to cut down on their turnovers, as they had 16 in the win over West Virginia. The Sooners are averaging 71.2 points per game and allows 68.1 — 74th best in the nation.
Oklahoma is 2-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last three games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Oklahoma wins, 77-69.
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