West Virginia Mountaineers vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 1/6/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: West Virginia Mountaineers vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The Houston Cougars (13-0) are hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers (5-8) at Fertitta Center on Saturday.

The West Virginia Mountaineers played Ohio State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 78-75 in their last game. West Virginia finished the contest having earned a 42.6% field goal percentage (29 out of 68) and made 5 of 22 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Mountaineers buried 12 of their 16 tries for a rate of 75.0%. In regard to rebounding, they earned a total of 44 with 11 of them being offensive. They also dished out 14 assists in this game in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and having 3 steals. With regard to the defense, West Virginia allowed the other team to go 35.6% from the field on 26 of 73 shooting. Ohio State dished out 15 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. In addition, Ohio State grabbed 41 rebounds (14 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Ohio State walked away from this one shooting 60.0% from the charity stripe by making 15 of 25 attempts. They also converted 11 of 34 attempts from long range. With respect to fouls, the Mountaineers finished with 21 while Ohio State finished the game with 19 fouls.

Raequan Battle is one guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 47.4% from the floor and totaled 1 assist. He played 29 minutes played and also totaled 10 boards. He walked away with 24 points on 9 of 19 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks

West Virginia enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 5-8 so far this season. They are turning it over 11.4 times per game and as a squad they are committing 13.9 fouls every game. As a unit, West Virginia is pulling in 37.8 rebounds per game and is sitting with 167 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 275th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Mountaineers are shooting 30.3% on shots from distance (81 of 267) and 72.9% from the free throw line. They are averaging 68.3 points per outing (314th in college basketball) while shooting 41.1% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Mountaineers are forcing 9.6 turnovers per game while drawing 18.5 personal fouls. They are conceding 32.8% on shots from downtown and they rank 142nd in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (69.5). The Mountaineers are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 40.8% (335 of 822) and they relinquish 37.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 172nd in college basketball in allowing assists with 170 conceded on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Houston Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 81-42 against Penn. Concerning attacking the glass, Houston allowed Penn to collect 25 in all (8 offensive). They shot 26.9% from beyond the arc by going 7 of 26 and finished the contest at 7 out of 11 from the free throw line (63.6%). The Cougars allowed Penn to make 14 of their 45 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 31.1% for the game. When the game finished, the Cougars walked away from this one shooting 32 for 66 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.5%. When it comes to shots from distance, Houston buried 7 of their 16 attempts (43.8%). They were able to bury 10 of them for a rate of 62.5%. Penn was called for 15 fouls in the game which took the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 16 tries. They gave up possession 7 times, while earning 14 steals for this contest. The Cougars were able to corral 21 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive boards for a total of 40 in this contest.

LJ Cryer ended up having an impact for the Cougars in this contest. He had 16 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and had 4 assists in this matchup. He made 7 of 13 in this contest for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and tallied 2 rebounds.

Houston has a mark of 13-0 for the year. The Cougars are responsible for committing 17.8 fouls per contest while shooting 65.8% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.9 times per game (159th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.4 times per contest. Houston has totaled 987 points for the season (75.9 per game) and they pull down 41.2 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Cougars are connecting on 43.9% from the floor, which is 232nd in the nation.

The Houston defense concedes 27.2% on shots from beyond the arc (71 of 261) and their opponents are converting on 61.5% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 10.2 assists and 32.2 total boards per game, which is 30th and 62nd in college basketball. The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 2nd in college basketball in PPG given up with 49.4. They are able to force 18.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 34.5% from the floor (2nd in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here