Cincinnati Bearcats vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 1/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Bearcats vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Location: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

WVU Coliseum is the location where the West Virginia Mountaineers (7-13) will try to defeat the Cincinnati Bearcats (14-6) on Wednesday.

The Cincinnati Bearcats faced UCF and took home the win by a score of 68-57 in their last game. Cincinnati ended with a 46.2% field goal percentage (24 out of 52) and knocked down 3 of 14 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Bearcats made 17 of their 25 attempts for a percentage of 68.0%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 36 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 15 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and having 3 steals. When it comes to defense, Cincinnati allowed the other team to shoot 36.2% from the field on 21 of 58 shooting. UCF earned 10 dimes and had 8 steals in this contest. On top of that, UCF had 27 rebounds (11 offensive, 16 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. UCF finished shooting 77.8% from the free throw line by converting 7 of 9 tries. They knocked down 8 out of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Bearcats ended up with 12 while UCF racked up 18 fouls.

Daniel Skillings is one guy who had an impact in this contest. He scored 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 35 mins and snagged 7 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 57.1% from the floor and dished out 2 assists.

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Cincinnati heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 14-6 on the campaign. They are turning it over 11.5 times per game and as a group they commit 14.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Cincinnati is pulling down 41.5 rebounds per contest and has earned 319 dimes so far this season, which is 59th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bearcats are connecting on 33.1% on shots from beyond the arc (144 of 435) and 67.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 77.7 points per outing (88th in the country) while hitting 45.0% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Bearcats are forcing their opponents into 12.3 turnovers per game while drawing 17.1 fouls. They relinquish 32.5% from 3-point land and they rank 54th in the country in PPG allowed (66.5). The Bearcats defense is giving up a FG percentage of 41.0% (479 of 1,168) and they relinquish 31.5 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 145th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 252 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the West Virginia Mountaineers walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 70-66 against Oklahoma State. Concerning cleaning the glass, West Virginia allowed Oklahoma State to pull down 31 in all (5 on the offensive side). They went 29.6% from three-point range by connecting on 8 out of 27 and ended up going 20 of 26 at the free throw line (76.9%). The Mountaineers permitted Oklahoma State to bury 21 of 52 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 40.4% in this contest. Overall, the Mountaineers finished shooting 24 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.9%. When talking about shooting from beyond the arc, West Virginia buried 10 out of their 22 attempts (45.5%). They were able to convert 8 of them for a rate of 66.7%. Oklahoma State committed 11 personal fouls for the contest which took the Mountaineers to the charity stripe for a total of 12 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while earning 7 steals in this game. The Mountaineers corralled 22 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in the game.

Kerr Kriisa ended up being important for the Mountaineers in this contest. He tallied 21 points in his 28 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in this matchup. He knocked down 6 of 9 in this matchup for a rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 5 rebounds.

West Virginia has a mark of 7-13 this year. The Mountaineers commit 15.0 fouls every game while shooting 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.6 times per game (240th in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per game. West Virginia has accumulated 1,365 points on the season (68.3 per contest) and they pull in 34.6 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mountaineers are hitting on 41.3% from the field, which has them ranked 323rd in the nation.

The Mountaineers on defense are ranked 208th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 72.6. They are forcing 10.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.0% from the field (159th in college basketball). The West Virginia defense surrenders 33.5% on shots from 3-point land (162 of 484) and their opponents are connecting on 73.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 13.9 dimes and 36.4 total boards per game, which has them ranked 271st and 262nd in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Cincinnati

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