The West Virginia Mountaineers look like the best team in the Big 12 early on and one of the best in the country. They will aim to keep their foot on the gas pedal this week when they host the Baylor Bears.
West Virginia is off to a 3-0 start in conference play and has just one loss this season, leading to a No. 6 national ranking. Baylor did pretty well in the non-conference season but has found it tougher in the Big 12 against some formidable foes. The road remains rough with this one as it will take a Herculean effort to pull off the road upset against the Mountaineers.
Baylor is hoping to earn a berth to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, so signature wins like one here would be a big-time lift. West Virginia, meanwhile, is hoping for a top seed and should be able to keep rolling against the Bears.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at WVU Coliseum.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
West Virginia is a sparkling 14-1 straight up and 6-6 against the spread on the season. The Mountaineers have been favored in every game this season. They are 3-2 against the spread in home games.
Baylor is 11-4 straight up and 6-4 against the spread. The Bears are perfect attempting to cover as the favorite but just 1-4 against the spread as the underdog. Baylor has failed to cover in two attempts on the road this season. The Bears are 1-2 in conference play and could really get back in the race with a victory, although that is easier said than done.
Player To Watch
Jevon Carter — The senior guard is the West Virginia’s leading scorer with 16.7 points per game and also averages a team-high 6.9 assists per game. After an off night against Kansas State on January 1st where Carter was just 1-of-7 from the field, he bounced back on Saturday against No. 7 Oklahoma.
Carter finished with 17 points,10 assists and seven rebounds. That performance marked his fourth double-double of the year. Carter is a guy Baylor must slow down in order to have a chance at pulling the upset.
Key Stat
4. That’s the number of ranked teams Baylor has faced this season, and it lost each of those games. The Bears are hoping to break that streak when they face West Virginia.
Baylor has fallen to Xavier, Wichita State, Texas Tech and TCU this season. The Bears’ four losses to those ranked opponents account for the team’s only losses on the year.
They came close to beating TCU on January 2nd, pushing the game to overtime before eventually falling 81-78 to the Horned Frogs. The Bears also kept it close against Wichita state on December 2nd, losing by six to the then-ranked No. 6 Shockers.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
This one is easy to figure. West Virginia’s lone loss this season came at the hands of Texas A&M. Since then the Mountaineers have reeled off 14 consecutive wins, including victories over ranked foes Virginia and, most recently, Oklahoma.
West Virginia is a in a groove and should be able to overwhelm Baylor with its frenetic style of play. The spread could be pretty high, but even so, the Mountaineers have the firepower to cover by clicking on all cylinder.
Each team averages more than 80 points per game and each is comfortable playing an up-and-down tempo. This should be an entertaining matchup and the scoring total figures to be high because of the pace.
The “over” could still be the correct choice as long as the Bears can hit enough shots to keep up.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: West Virginia 88, Baylor 77
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