Looking to win big? The Mountaineers and Bearcats face off at 2:00 ET on ESPN+. The Bearcats are hosting the game at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH. The over/under for this game is set at 146.5 points, and Cincinnati is favored by -11.5 vs. West Virginia in a Big 12 conference matchup.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS VS CINCINNATI BEARCATS BETTING PICK

The Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers +11.5

This game will be played at Fifth Third Arena at 2:00 ET on Saturday, March 9th.

WHY BET THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Bearcats.
  • Even though we have Cincinnati winning straight-up, we like West Virginia at +11.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 146.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.

Do the Mountaineers Have a Shot at a Win at Cincinnati?

West Virginia has struggled mightily on the road this season, going 0-8 and getting outscored by an average of 15.8 points per game. They have lost their last eight games away from home and are 0-10 in their last 10.

Overall, the Mountaineers are 9-21, including a 4-12 record in Big 12 play. They are coming off a 93-81 loss to TCU and have dropped their last three games.

West Virginia has an overall ATS record of 11-18 this season and they are 2-6 vs. the spread on the road. As the underdog, the Mountaineers have gone 7-14 vs. the spread this year and they are 4-6 in their last 10 games as the underdog.

West Virginia’s over/under record this season sits at 14-14-1, and today’s line of 146.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (142.9). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 169 points, and their over/under record in their last 10 games is 5-4-1.

West Virginia’s offense is coming off a good game, putting up 81 points vs. TCU. Overall, they hit 56.9% of their shots from the field and went 19/34 from the free-throw line. Leading West Virginia in scoring vs. TCU was Jesse Edwards with his 36 points. Raequan Battle also added 13 points for the Mountaineers.

Looking at the West Virginia defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 75.9 points per game (274th). The West Virginia defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 93 points and allowed TCU to connect on 4 threes.

Does Cincinnati Have a Shot at a Home Win?

At home this season, Cincinnati has gone 13-5, and they have an average scoring margin of +12.2 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, they are 5-5.

On the year, the Bearcats have an overall record of 17-13, and they are 6-10 in Big 12 play. In their most recent game, they defeated Kansas State by a score of 74-72.

As the favorite, Cincinnati has struggled against the spread this season, going just 7-13 vs. the spread. Their ATS mark at home is 7-10-1 and they have gone just 2-8 vs. the spread in their last 10 games as the favorite.

So far this season, the over/under record in Cincinnati games sits at 14-15, and over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1. On average, their games have finished with 142.4 points compared to an average over/under line of 144. This year, 16 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line of 146.5.

In their recent matchup, the Cincinnati offense ended with 74 points against Kansas State. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 47% and made 8 threes. John Newman III led the team in scoring, putting up 18 points. Additionally, Day Day Thomas contributed 14 points for the Bearcats.

At present, the Bearcats’ defense is nationally ranked 78th, allowing 68.2 points per game. In their previous game vs. Kansas State, the Wildcats finished with a field goal percentage of 47% and a total of 72 points vs. Cincinnati.