Bucknell has pulled off a pair of first-round upsets in program history, but this will be a tall task. West Virginia uses a full-court press which can confound foes and it will help make it a heavy favorite in this matchup.
The Mountaineers have designs of making a deep run in March Madness, and the first round shouldn’t give them too much trouble. Bucknell will need to play nearly perfectly in order to have a chance to pull off this upset.
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College Basketball Odds
West Virginia is listed as a 14-point favorite in this matchup. The Big Dance is known for its fun finishes in a variety of games, but oddsmakers see a blowout in this one.
The Mountaineers are 26-8 straight up and 15-15-1 against the spread. West Virginia has played in five neutral court games on the season and have covered only one of them. The Mountaineers are 13-14-1 against the spread as the favorite this year.
Bucknell is 26-8 straight up and 8-3 against the spread. The Bison has yet to play a neutral site game with a spread. Bucknell has only been the underdog three times and has covered once.
Player to Watch
Zach Thomas -- If Bucknell can keep this game competitive, it will likely be on the back of its star junior forward. Thomas is averaging 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. He is shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from the three-point line.
Thomas is a sharpshooter and West Virginia must make sure he doesn’t get a lot of open looks. He was really good last time out against Lehigh, scoring 17 points and adding nine rebounds, seven assists and a pair of blocks.
In the game before that, a win over Navy, Thomas had 22 points and five assists while shooting 8-of-13 from the field to help Bucknell to the win.
Key Stat
695. That’s the number of turnovers West Virginia has forced this season, far and away the most in college basketball. The Mountaineers use their full-court press to force opponents into mistakes.
The Bison have a few days to study the press and the best way to attack it. If Bucknell can get through it, many times it leads to easy buckets on the other end. West Virginia, though, is masterful at using pressure to force turnovers.
The Mountaineers like to add possessions to the game by pressing full court and running when possible. The more up-and-down this game goes, the more it will benefit the athletic West Virginia players.
Bucknell is a solid team but won’t be able to compete unless it can control the pace of the contest. Avoiding turnovers is essential to its chances.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Bucknell beat Kansas in 2005 and then Arkansas in 2006, but has lost by double digits in its past two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison won the Patriot league by three full games, proving to easily be the best team in the conference.
Bucknell had a nice non-conference win over Vanderbilt, although it was also blown out by Butler and Wake Forest. West Virginia may be susceptible in later rounds, but it is the clear best team in this matchup.
Choose the Mountaineers to advance, but the spread is too high in this one. Bucknell should cover.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia 73, Bucknell 62
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