Check out our free West Virginia vs TCU pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Fort Worth. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

West Virginia vs TCU Pick & Preview: Tuesday, January 31st Betting Odds

Mountaineers vs Horned Frogs Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: West Virginia Mountaineers at TCU Horned Frogs
  • Where: Fort Worth at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena
  • Date: Tuesday, January 31st
  • Betting Odds: West Virginia +3.5, WVIR +140 | TCU -173 O/U 145.0

Mountaineers Preview:

The West Virginia Mountaineers head into today’s game in what will be their 22nd game of the season, posting a record of 13-8. So far, the Mountaineers have played 7 games on the road, with a record of 3-4. For the season, West Virginia has been the underdog in 8 games, sitting with a mark of 2-6. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Mountaineers being +3.5 point underdogs.

West Virginia will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Erik Stevenson who is averaging 13.9 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 game plan is the play of Tre Mitchell who has hit 48.7% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 12.19 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 they 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.

Horned Frogs Preview:

TCU heads into this matchup having played 21 games and have an overall record sitting at 16-5. So far this season, TCU has played 15 games at home, sitting with a record of 13-2. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Horned Frogs as the -3.5 point favorites. The Horned Frogs have been favored 15 times, going 12-3 straight up.

TCU will be dealing with a key absence in this matchup vs West Virginia, as their leading scorer, <__main__.PlayerInfoClass object at 0x7f900a2d85e0> will be unavailable. The Horned Frogs’ will be looking to replace his 18.06 points per game, which accounts for 19.95% of the team’s scoring. Emanuel Miller will need to take on a bigger role for the Horned Frogs’ offense, as he is 2nd on the team at 13.5 points per game. So far, Miller has connected on 56.4% of his field goal attempts.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for TCU this season, as they are currently ranked 298th in college basketball at 68.1 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Horned Frogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 30.4%, placing them 450th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: TCU Horned Frogs -3.5

For this matchup, our college basketball betting model points to their being value in taking the TCU on the spread as -3.5 point favorites over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Not only do we see the team continuing to perform well vs the spread at home, as the school is 7-3 vs the spread (last 10), they are due to shut down a West Virginia unit that struggles with their outside shooting. Look for a good defensive effort to be the key reason that the Horned Frogs take care of business and cover as -3.5 point favorites.