Mountaineers vs. Cowboys Prediction
The 17th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers have used suffocating defense to enjoy a strong first two months of the season. Is the under in the cards tonight when West Virginia is on the road at the Oklahoma State Cowboys?
Game Snapshot
863 West Virginia Mountaineers at 864 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Monday, January 6, 2020
Gallagher-Iba Arena at 9PM ET
TV: ESPN2
Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our NCAA Basketball Odds & Betting Page.
According to oddsmakers, the Mountaineers are a 1.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 137.5 points. As of Monday afternoon, 71 percent of public bets are being placed on visiting West Virginia. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Mountaineers fall short at Jayhawks
West Virginia lost by a score of 60-53 Saturday afternoon at Kansas to fall to 11-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Mountaineers were outscored 36-23 in the second half after leading by six at the break. Oscar Tshiebwe paced West Virginia with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting plus 5-of-9 at the free throw line. He also ripped down 17 rebounds and had two blocked shots. Miles McBride added 13 points and two boards off the bench.
Cowboys struggle badly at Red Raiders
Oklahoma State suffered an 85-50 defeat Saturday at Texas Tech to drop to 9-4 overall and 0-1 in conference action. Lindy Waters III was the lone Cowboys player in double figures for scoring as he finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting including 3-of-7 from 3-point distance. He also grabbed four rebounds. Cameron McGriff tallied nine points and nine boards. Avery Anderson III added nine points, two caroms and two assists off the bench.
College Basketball Betting Trends
West Virginia
The under is 6-0 in the last six Mountaineers games overall. The under is 5-0 in the last five West Virginia road games.
Oklahoma State
The under is 32-15 in the last 47 Cowboys home games. The under is 6-1 in the last seven OSU Monday games.
Prediction:
Considering both of these squads struggled to score two days ago and their bread-and-butter is defense, this has the makings of another low-scoring affair. It will likely be a closely contested game and defensive focus will be at the forefront with every basket carrying weight. The Mountaineers are elite defensively with the third-ranked effective field goal percentage and fifth-ranked adjusted efficiency nationally. The Cowboys are nowhere near the same class, but do lean on their defense with an offense that barely cracks the top 100 in adjusted efficiency. Ride the under here.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS/OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS UNDER 137.5