Mountaineers vs. Buckeyes Prediction
The 22nd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers have a tough task at hand tonight as they battle the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Cleveland. Can West Virginia keep it close enough to stay within the number?
Game Snapshot
675 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. 676 Ohio State Buckeyes
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse at 12PM ET
TV: FS1
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Buckeyes are a 7-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 136.5 points. As of Sunday morning, 60 percent of public bets are siding with Ohio State. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Mountaineers overcome halftime deficit
West Virginia earned a 75-64 victory last Saturday at Youngstown State to improve to 10-1 overall and 2-1 on the road. The Mountaineers outscored the Penguins 40-26 after halftime to overcome a three-point halftime deficit. Oscar Tshiebwe paced West Virginia with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting plus 3-of-5 from the free throw line. He also pulled down seven rebounds. Derek Culver tallied 15 points, seven boards and seven assists. Miles McBride accounted for 10 points and five caroms. Taz Sherman added 10 points and two rebounds.
Buckeyes get past Wildcats
Ohio State earned a 71-65 victory over Kentucky last Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas. The Buckeyes outscored the Wildcats 34-29 in the second half to close out the win. D.J. Carton led OSU with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting including 1-of-2 from 3-point range plus 4-of-4 from the charity stripe off the bench. He also recorded five rebounds, two assists and twl blocked shots. Kyle Young had 10 points and six boards. Kaleb Wesson added 10 points, six caroms and two assists.
College Basketball Betting Trends
West Virginia
The Mountaineers are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games following an ATS loss. West Virginia is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 neutral site games.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 7-1 ATS in their last eight neutral site games. Ohio State is 0-5 ATS in its last five Sunday games.
Prediction:
Here’s a theory: after the Ohio State football team lost in the College Football Playoff semifinals last night in a thriller, the Buckeyes basketball team will be a little more deflated for this noon start today. The Buckeyes fans won’t be quite as into it either and since it’s at a neutral court, the home-court advantage Columbus would provide isn’t there anyways. The Mountaineers haven’t played the toughest schedule, but do have a nice win over Wichita State on a neutral court and are a bucket away from being unbeaten. Taking the points here.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS +7