.jpg "Texas-at-West-Virginia-(CBS)")
Turnovers and defense will be on the agenda when the Texas Longhorns travel to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers this weekend. Both of these teams are known for their defensive prowess and both sides thrive off of forcing mistakes out of their opponent.
West Virginia has had more success in that regard than Texas has. The Mountaineers were seen as the probable Big 12 winner before being upended by Kansas on Monday night. Now, WVU will be looking to keep up with the Jayhawks, while the Longhorns will be looking to stay in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, January 20, 2018, at 2 p.m. ET at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The game will be televised live on CBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Mountaineers were healthy six-point favorites at home against Kansas on Monday night, but lost outright to drop their second straight game in conference. West Virginia had won 15 straight prior to those two losses, and now it must be wondering what it needs to do to get in a win.
Unsurprisingly, the under has continued to be a great play in Mountaineers games this season. Under is 9-5 in WVU tilts this year and has cashed in each of the last five.
Texas has played some thrilling games since starting conference play, but the Longhorns need to start winning soon or else Shaka Smart will be out in Austin. This team is just 2-3 in Big 12 play this year, but did cover as a two-point underdog in each of its last two games. Both of those games were decided by one point with Texas beating TCU 99-98 in double overtime, and Oklahoma State knocking off Texas 65-64 in regulation three days later.
Under has been a good bet in Longhorns games this season as well. The under has an overall record of 7-5-1 and it is 3-1 in road games.
Key Stat
Both teams have had to rely on their defense because neither side can shoot the ball particularly well. West Virginia has had a hard time scoring this season. The return of Esa Ahmad will definitely help, but this team is still shooting less than 43 percent from the floor. For as great as he is on the defensive end, Jevon Carter sometimes struggles to do it all on offense and is hitting just over 41 percent of his field goals.
As for Texas, the Longhorns have been unable to shoot the ball well either. The loss of Andrew Jones has been huge, and his recent leukemia diagnosis means that there are far more pressing matters than basketball at this point. Dylan Osetkowski has tried to fill his role as the team’s go-to scorer, but has not been efficient.
Player to Watch
Few players jump off of the screen like Mohamed Bamba does. Bamba has been incredible for Texas this season. The fabulous freshman from Harlem has been a nightmare for opponents to stop. He is averaging a double-double a game and leads the nation in blocks with 4.4 per game.
Bamba is gifted with a rare blend of length and athleticism. His long arms make it easy for him to impact opponent’s shot attempts and help him dominate on the glass. WVU might have a very hard time scoring down low on him in this one.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
As long as Bamba doesn’t get into foul trouble, I like Texas to get the cover here. Bamba will be able to shut down Ahmad, and West Virginia will have a hard time scoring without Ahmad getting good looks. The number will be a little inflated because people will think WVU can’t possibly lose three in a row, but this Texas team is a tough matchup for them.
College Basketball Odds: Texas 72, West Virginia 70
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