West Virginia vs Texas 2/26/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 20^th ranked Texas Longhorns will travel to WVU Coliseum to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The 20^th ranked Texas Longhorns improved to 20-8 on the season after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs, 75-66, this past Wednesday. Texas trailed by a 48-38 margin with just 13:20 left in regulation, however, the Longhorns were outstanding offensively down the stretch and was able to pull away for the victory after a 16-3 Longhorns run gave Texas a 59-53 lead with 4:43 left in regulation. Texas shot 44.6% from the field & 7.1% from beyond the arc while allowing TCU to shoot 53.1% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Longhorns was Andrew Jones who had 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Texas is averaging 68.6 ppg on 44.4% shooting from the field. The Longhorns are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Texas has been led by Timmy Allen (11.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg), Andrew Jones (11.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Marcus Carr (11.0 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.0 spg), & Courtney Ramey (9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.6 apg).

Defensively, Texas is holding their opponents to an average of 58.0 ppg on 41.4% shooting from the field. The Longhorns have a rebound margin of 1.8 and a turnover margin of 4.0.

The West Virginia Mountaineers lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 14-14 on the season after being defeated by the Iowa State Cyclones, 84-81, this past Wednesday. West Virginia led by a 54-42 margin early in the 2^nd half, however, the Mountaineers defense struggled down the stretch and Iowa State was able to secure the come from behind victory after a Izaiah Brockington jumper gave the Cyclones the lead for good with just :20 seconds left in regulation. West Virginia shot 46.3% from the field & 38.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Iowa State to shoot 55.1% from the field & 52.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Malik Curry who had 19 points, 6 rebounds, & 2 assists in 21 minutes from off the bench.

On the season, West Virginia is averaging 68.3 ppg on 41.2% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, West Virginia has been led by Taz Sherman (18.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg), Sean McNeil (12.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg), Jalen Bridges (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg), & Malik Curry (8.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.4 apg).

Defensively, West Virginia is allowing their opponents to average 68.0 ppg on 43.7% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers have a rebound margin of -3.9 and a turnover margin of 2.9.

The Longhorns are 14-5-1 ATS in their last 20 games vs. West Virginia, however, are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Saturday games. The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Texas has all the talent to be able to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, led by a defense that ranks t-4^th in scoring defense, however, this is still a team that has struggled on the road (3-6 record) and can have trouble putting up points on the scoreboard as they rank just t-241^st in scoring offense, 167^th in FG%, & 275^th in three-pointers made per game. West Virginia has really struggled in Big 12 play this season as the Mountaineers have lost 12 of their last 13 games, however, the Mountaineers defense still have been decent this season as they come into this game ranked t-146^th in scoring defense & 42^nd in turnover margin and as I think Texas offense could struggle a bit in this one, I think the play here is to take the Mountaineers and the points. Good Luck!