Check out our free Buffalo vs West Virginia pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Morgantown. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Buffalo vs West Virginia Pick & Preview: Sunday, December 18th Betting Odds
Bulls vs Mountaineers Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Buffalo Bulls at West Virginia Mountaineers
- Where: Morgantown at WVU Coliseum
- Date: Sunday, December 18th
- Betting Odds: Buffalo +19, BUF +1522 | WVIR -7677 O/U 152.0
Bulls Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs West Virginia, the Buffalo Bulls will be taking the floor for the 11th time this season and have an overall record of 5-5. So far, the Bulls have played 3 games on the road, with a record of 1-2. For the season, Buffalo has been the underdog in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 3-4. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Bulls being +19 point underdogs.
Buffalo will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Curtis Jones who is averaging 14.9 points per game for the Bulls. Jones is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Bulls’ offensive gameplan is the play of Zid Powell who has hit 42.6% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 13.8 points per game.
Buffalo comes into today’s matchup vs West Virginia, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 79.9 points per game. Through 10 games, they have hit 45.5% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Bulls’ have prefered to slow the game down, ranking 273rd in possessions per game.
Mountaineers Preview:
West Virginia will take the floor against the Bulls with an overall record of 8-2. Currently, the Mountaineers have been the home team 7 times, sitting with a record of 6-1. The Mountaineers’ are sitting with a betting line that is -19 points in their favor. For the season, West Virginia has been favored to win in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 7-0.
West Virginia will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Erik Stevenson who is averaging 13.6 points per game for the Mountaineers. Stevenson is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Mountaineers’ offensive gameplan is the play of Tre Mitchell who has hit 55.8% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.9 points per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for West Virginia this season, as they are currently ranked 289th in college basketball at 68.5 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Mountaineers’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 32.8%, placing them 333rd in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: Buffalo Bulls +19
If you’re deciding whether to down a bet vs the spread in this matchup, we recommend taking the Buffalo Bulls to cover as +19 point underdogs. One thing that often causes problems for team’s who are heavy underdogs is when they are matched up against a team that can dictate the pace of play. However, both Buffalo and West Virginia come into today’s game near the NCAA average in possessions per game. Given that style of place won’t be an issue for the Bulls and the fact that they have 4-1 vs the spread in their last 5 games as underdogs, we like them to cover the spread on the road.
