The West Virginia Mountaineers again proved last time out it has the ability to knock off some of the best teams in the country with an upset of Kansas. Now they just want to take care of business against an inferior opponent -- something that hasn’t been as easy as expected this year.
West Virginia will face off against Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Mountaineers have the much better team and are at home, so there is every reason to believe they will win this one as long as they can avoid the traps of recent upset losses.
Texas A&M has won two in a row after a couple weeks of struggles but could be hard-pressed to claim this victory.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the WVU Coliseum, Morgantown in West Virginia at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 28, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Satuday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
West Virginia is 16-4 straight up and 10-7 against the spread. The Mountaineers have played in ten home games thus far and have covered in seven of them. They have gone 9-7 against the spread as favorites this season.
Texas A&M is 11-8 straight up and 7-10 against the spread. The Aggies have played in four true road games and have only covered in one of those. Texas A&M is 1-3 as the underdog this season and will certainly be getting points in this one.
Player to Watch
Tyler Davis – The Texas A&M center is team’s leading scorer and leading rebounder this season despite only being a sophomore. Davis is averaging 13.7 points per game and 6.8 rebounds for the Aggies this season.
In the team’s 80-67 win over Ole Miss on January 25th, Davis finished with 20 points and five rebounds. He has also had three double-doubles with his strongest all-around performance coming against No. 19 Arizona on December 19th when Davis finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
At 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds, Davis is able to use his size as a big advantage on both sides of the court. He leads a group of a young, talented players that includes three other underclassmen, but inexperience could be a factor this week against such a sound team in West Virginia.
Key Stat
88.1 That’s how many points per game West Virginia is averaging right now. The Mountaineers are sure to be a handful for Texas A&M this week, whose defense is holding opponents to 67.5 points per game.
West Virginia scored a season-high 112 points against UMKC on December 17th and the team has three other victories where the offense scored 100 points or more. In the upset against No. 2 Kansas on January 24th, the Mountaineers scored 85 points.
The offense is led by Esa Ahmad, Jevon Carter, Nathan Adrian and Daxter Miles Jr. who combine to help the Mountaineers rank No. 6 in the nation for assists with 18 per game and No. 7 for points per game. The team’s ability to pass the ball so well among a number of playmakers is what makes this offense so dangerous.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
West Virginia has now blown out both then-No. 2 Kansas and then-No. 1 Baylor on the season, and yet has lost three conference games. The Mountaineers have been beaten by Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas State, so clearly they have to show they can handle being the favorite.
Texas A&M was competitive against USC, UCLA and Arizona earlier this season, so it is possible to hang around against West Virginia. However, expect the Mountaineers to live up to their billing in this one and cruise to the win.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia 85, Texas A&M 71
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