Baylor vs West Virginia 1/31/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The West Virginia Mountaineers will travel to the Ferrell Center to take on the 4^th ranked Baylor Bears this Monday night in College Basketball action.

The West Virginia Mountaineers lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 13-7 on the season after being defeated by the Arkansas Razorbacks, 77-68, this past Saturday. West Virginia struggled on the offensive end against Arkansas and could not fight back after the Razorbacks took a 52-33 lead with 16:06 left in regulation. West Virginia shot just 38.3% from the field & 26.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Arkansas to shoot 45.1% from the field & 21.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mountaineers was Taz Sherman who had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, West Virginia is averaging 68.3 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.7 three-pointers per game on 31.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, West Virginia has been led by Taz Sherman (18.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg), Sean McNeil (13.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg), Jalen Bridges (8.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg), & Malik Curry (8.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, West Virginia is holding their opponents to average 65.5 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Mountaineers have a rebound margin of -2.9 and a turnover margin of 4.0.

The 4^th ranked Baylor Bears had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 18-3 on the season after being defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide, 87-78, this past Saturday. Baylor struggled to slow down the Alabama offensive attack and could not fight back after the Crimson Tide took a 54-42 lead with 12:14 left in regulation. Baylor shot 46.4% from the field & 47.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Alabama to shoot 59.2% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Jeremy Sochan who had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

On the season, Baylor is averaging 78.7 ppg on 48.1% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game on 36.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Baylor has been led by LJ Cryer (13.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.7 apg), James Akinjo (12.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.7 apg, 2.2 spg), Adam Flagler (12.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg), & Kendall Brown (10.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg).

Defensively, Baylor is holding their opponents to an average of 60.6 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of 7.2 and a turnover margin of 4.0.

The Mountaineers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games & 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games vs. Big 12 opponents. Baylor is 12-8-1 ATS on the season & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Monday games.

West Virginia has been led by their defense which ranks 80^th in scoring defense & 26^th in turnover margin, however, the Mountaineers has struggled on the offensive end as they currently rank just 256^th in scoring offense & 275^th in FG%. Baylor has been outstanding on both ends of the court this season and currently rank 30^th in scoring offense, 25^th in FG%, & 20^th in scoring defense.

West Virginia is in a desperate need for a win, however, the Mountaineers have played a tough schedule as of late and we’ve seen with ins against UConn, Kansas State, & Oklahoma State, that West Virginia has the talent to be competitive against quality teams. Baylor is most likely going to bounce back after their rough defensive performance against Alabama, however, as I think this is just too many points to cover against a West Virginia team that can force turnovers, I’m taking the Mountaineers and the points. Good Luck!