West Virginia vs Texas Expert NCAAB Prediction

Posted by Henry Watkins on Monday,February 15, 2016 12:57, EDT in

It is beginning to look as though the Big 12 conference is going to go right down to the wire this season, as there are just 2 games separating the top 6 teams right now. Every one of them has a shot at landing on top, and the next couple of weeks will decide who will land there. We have a crucial game to look forward to on Tuesday when the West Virginia Mountaineers head into the Frank Erwin Center to face the Texas Longhorns. We will find out for sure when the odds for this game go live on MyBookie.ag NCAAB betting section on Tuesday morning.

West Virginia vs Texas Expert NCAAB Prediction

When: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Where: Tuesday, February 16, 7 PM EST
Game Odds: TBA
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KTXX 104,9
Stream Option: WatchESPN

It’s never an easy pick when you have a pair of ranked teams going head to head, and it is often the home team that get the nod as favorite. I’m not so sure that will be the case here, though, as I believe the Mountaineers will have a slight edge heading into Texas.

Why bet on the West Virginia Mountaineers

It was a bit of an up and down week for the Mountaineers (20-5, 9-3), as they went down on the road at Kansas before closing things out with a comfortable win at home versus TCU. Those results were pretty much as expected, but they also know that they cannot afford to lose many more games coming down the stretch. 4 of their last 6 games are against ranked opponents, and a winning record in those could see them sitting pretty heading into March Madness. This will be the second meeting of the season between these two, and it was Texas who came away with the win on the road the last time out. I don’t see the Mountaineers playing as poorly as they did in that one, and expect a much better performance this time out. West Virginia are averaging 80.0 PPG, and are giving up 64.8 PPG.

Why bet on the Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns (16-9, 7-5) lost both of their games last week, and both defeats came at the hands of ranked opponents. Their two games this week are also against ranked foes, and they know that another two losses would likely see them fall out of the top 25. Texas has to be coming into this game with a little bit of confidence, especially given how they were able to shut down a very good West Virginia offense in their last meeting. Texas took that game 56-49, but you really have to wonder if they can hold out so well this time around. Their last couple of outings suggest things might be a little tougher in this meeting. The Longhorns are averaging 72.3 PPG, and are giving up 67.1 PPG.

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Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I just don’t see any way that the Mountaineers offense is as poor as it was the last time they face Texas. I think they will take advantage of a team that is slipping right now, and will come away with the all-important W.

West Virginia Mountaineers 73 Texas Longhorns 67