Who's Playing

Bethune-Cook. Wildcats @ West Virginia Mountaineers

Current Records: Bethune-Cook. 2-7, West Virginia 7-2

How To Watch

What to Know

The experts are predicting a (big) win for West Virginia on Saturday. They have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome the Bethune-Cook. Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. ET at WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 77.9 points per game this season.

West Virginia's season wasn't pretty last year but it's starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat NC Central 79-45. The Mountaineers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 28 points or more this season.

West Virginia's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jonathan Powell, who had 17 points. Powell had some trouble finding his footing against Georgetown last Friday, so this was a step in the right direction. Another player making a difference was KJ Tenner, who scored nine points in addition to six assists and two steals.

West Virginia was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as NC Central only posted six.

Meanwhile, Bethune-Cook.'s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their third straight defeat. They received a tough blow as they fell 59-41 to Virginia. The match marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

West Virginia's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Bethune-Cook., their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: West Virginia hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 77.9 points per game. It's a different story for Bethune-Cook., though, as they've been averaging only 62.9. The only thing between West Virginia and another offensive beatdown is Bethune-Cook.. Will they be able to keep them contained?

Everything came up roses for West Virginia against Bethune-Cook. in their previous meeting back in November of 2015, as the team secured a 97-44 victory. Will West Virginia repeat their success, or does Bethune-Cook. have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

West Virginia is a big 24.5-point favorite against Bethune-Cook., according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mountaineers as a 25.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 135.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

West Virginia won the only game these two teams have played in the last 9 years.

  • Nov 23, 2015 - West Virginia 97 vs. Bethune-Cook. 44