Free College Basketball Picks: Gonzaga at West Virginia
by Dave Schwab - 12/9/2013
The No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs head on the road this Tuesday night to WVU Coliseum to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. Tip-off for this West Coast Conference-Big 12 clash is set for 9 p.m. (ET), and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Gonzaga comes into Tuesday’s game fresh off an 80-68 victory over New Mexico State this past Saturday, but it could not cover as a 13.5-point home favorite. The Bulldogs are now 8-1 straight up on the year but just 3-3-1 against the spread. The total stayed “under” the 154-point line against the Aggies after going “over” in four of their last five games.
The Mountaineers have lost their last two games both SU and ATS to fall to 6-3 SU and 2-4 ATS overall. Last Thursday they fell to Missouri 80-71 as 6.5-point road underdogs, with the total staying under the 152-point line. The total has now stayed under in their last three games.
Gonzaga at West Virginia Betting Storylines
The Bulldogs are averaging 90.4 points a game, which is the fourth-highest total in the nation. Even more impressive has been their ability to shoot the ball with the best field goal percentage in the country at 54.9 percent. They are also shooting a solid 47.6 percent from three-point range. The only area where they are not one of the top teams in the nation is under the boards with an average of 36 rebounds a game.
The key to this success has been a foursome of players scoring in double-figures led by Kevin Pangos. He is averaging 19.8 points a game while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor. Sam Dower is chipping in another 15.3 points and pulling down 7.2 rebounds a game, and Gary Bell Jr. has been deadly from outside with a 54.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Gerald Coleman rounds out the group with 11 points a game.
West Virginia is another team that has done a good job putting the ball in the hoop this season with 83.6 points a game, and as a team the Mountaineers are shooting an effective 48.3 percent from the field. They are also a team that can light it up from three-point range and are hitting on 44 percent of their shots. One area of weakness has been from the foul line with a conversion rate of just 66.3 percent. West Virginia should match up well with the Bulldogs under the boards with an average of 37 rebounds a game.
To snap their two-game skid, the Mountaineers will need a big night from Eron Harris and Juwan Staten. Harris leads the team in scoring with 18.9 points while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 51 percent from three-point range. Staten is a close second with 16.3 points, and he is adding 5.9 rebounds a game and a team-high 7.2 assists. Devin Williams is another Mountaineer scoring in double-figures with 10 points a game.
Gonzaga at West Virginia Betting Tends and Game Lines
BetOnline has opened this game as a “pick,” with the total still “off” the board.
The Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Big 12 and 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 games following an ATS loss. The total has stayed under in their last seven road games.
The Mountaineers are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 nonconference games and 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 games at home. The total has gone over in their last five games following a SU loss.
These two met in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, with Gonzaga coming away with a 77-54 victory as a one-point favorite. The Bulldogs hammered West Virginia again last season 84-50 as 10.5-point favorites at home. The total stayed under in both contests.
Free College Basketball Picks: Gonzaga at West Virginia Betting Predictions
The Mountaineers would love to avenge both of those lopsided losses this Tuesday night on their home court, but that is not going to happen. While the final score this time around will be much closer than the first two meetings, the play remains on Gonzaga in a SU win.
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