Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 2/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, February 17, 2024

Location: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPN

The Baylor Bears (18-6) are on their way to WVU Coliseum on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the West Virginia Mountaineers (8-16).

The Baylor Bears played Oklahoma and took home the win by a score of 79-62 in their last contest. Baylor wrapped up the contest with a 54.9% FG percentage (28 out of 51) and knocked down 11 out of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Bears made 12 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. In regard to getting rebounds, they compiled 21 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 16 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In the matter of defending, Baylor allowed the other team to go 46.7% from the field on 21 out of 45 shooting. Oklahoma totaled 12 dimes and had 3 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Oklahoma pulled down 24 rebounds (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Oklahoma finished shooting 81.3% when shooting free throws by burying 13 of their 16 shots. They also converted 7 out of their 21 attempts from beyond the perimeter. With respect to fouls, the Bears ended up with 14 while Oklahoma finished the game with 13 fouls.

Jayden Nunn is one guy who played a role in this matchup. He ended up shooting 66.7% from the field but had no assists when the time ran out. He was on the court for 36 mins and collected 3 rebounds. He left the arena with 27 points on 8 out of 12 shooting.

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Baylor will enter this game with a win-loss record of 18-6 this year. They average 82.6 pts per contest (23rd in the nation) while hitting 49.1% from the floor. The Bears are hitting 40.3% on shots from beyond the arc (212 of 526) and 72.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Baylor is grabbing 35.5 boards per game and has accounted for 374 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 72nd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.0 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 16.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bears are able to force 12.8 turnovers per game and they draw 19.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 169th in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 309 surrendered so far this year. The Bears are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 45.0% (615 of 1,367) and they relinquish 29.4 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are conceding 33.1% from beyond the arc while they are 134th in the country in opponents points per game (70.3).

In their last game, the West Virginia Mountaineers took a loss by a final score of 81-65 when they played TCU. When it comes to rebounding, West Virginia allowed TCU to grab 31 in all (7 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 30.0% from distance by connecting on 6 out of 20 and ended up going 13 of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Mountaineers permitted TCU to knock down 31 out of 64 attempts from the floor which had them at 48.4% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Mountaineers walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 54 from the floor which had them shooting 38.9%. With respect to three-point attempts, West Virginia buried 8 out of their 24 tries (33.3%). They were able to make 15 of the free throws for a rate of 83.3%. TCU had 20 fouls in this game which took the Mountaineers to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They also turned it over 19 times, while recording 3 steals for this game. The Mountaineers were able to collect 25 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive boards for a total of 28 in the game.

Raequan Battle pitched in for the Mountaineers for the game. He recorded 21 points in his 32 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this game. He made 7 out of 17 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 41.2%, and accounted for 5 rebounds.

West Virginia has a win-loss record of 8-16 on the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Mountaineers are hitting on 41.3% from the field, which ranks them 329th in Division 1. West Virginia has tallied 1,630 points for the year (67.9 per game) and they pull down 34.7 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.5 times per game (249th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Mountaineers are committing 14.6 personal fouls every game and they connect on 72.0% from the free throw line.

The West Virginia defense gives up 33.9% on shots from behind the 3-point line (205 of 604) and opponents are making 73.4% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 14.8 dimes and 36.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 315th and 264th in those categories. The Mountaineers on the defensive end are ranked 246th in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 74.0. They are forcing their opponents into 10.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (181st in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take West Virginia

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