West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Virginia Cavaliers Preview
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville
When: Saturday, December 3, 2:00 PM ET
Line: West Virginia Mountaineers (TBA) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (TBA) – view all NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers (TBA)
There are few teams peskier than the Mountaineers. And this Saturday, they will look to bug the hell out of the Cavaliers, as they make a trip to Charlottesville. WVU is 2-1 ATS in its last three road games.
Bob Huggins’ teams have always been about forcing opponents commit errors and get out on transition so expect the Mountaineers to execute the same approach against Virginia.
The Mountaineers, who are fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 94.7 PPG, are coming off a very West Virginia kind of victory, beating Manhattan 108-61. The Mountaineers saw the Jaspers rack up 41 total turnovers—a new school record for WVU—turning those errors into easy transition baskets on the other end of the floor. WVU is taking 21.3% of their shots this season on fastbreak opportunities per hoop-math.com.
Nathan Adrian leads the Mountaineers in scoring with 13.5 PPG while Esa Ahmad provides 13.2 PPG. Apart from getting out on the open court, the Mountaineers like to breakdown opposing defenses by excellently moving the ball around, as evidenced by their 19.7 APG, eighth in the nation.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (TBA)
It’s not easy getting past through the Cavaliers’ defense. Tony Bennett’s team is no. 1 in the nation in fewest points allowed per game (44.1) and while the Cavs won’t likely limit the high-scoring WVU team somewhere near that number, expect them to at least slow down the Mountaineers’ attack.
Virginia is undefeated so far this season, racking up seven-straight wins to begin its 2016-17 campaign and its success has a lot to do with its disciplined play on both ends of the floor.
The Cavaliers aren’t going to score much, but they won’t let the other team score a lot, too. They rarely turn the ball over, committing just 8.7 errors per contest, second fewest overall. This quality will go a long way in crippling whatever it is WVU is planning in tonight’s showdown.
Moreover, Virginia can get out a four-guard lineup just like it did in its 63-61 win over Ohio State on Wednesday to counter WVU’s ball pressure.
The Cavaliers are 2-1 ATS in their last three games as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
West Virginia wins, 68-65.
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