The TCU Horned Frogs (17-8, 5-7 Big 12) travel to West Virginia to take on the No. 19 Mountaineers (18-7, 7-5 Big 12) in a matchup that pits phenomenal offense against exceptional defense. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, February 12, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 158.5 points with West Virginia opening as a 6-point favorite.
TCU Horned Frogs vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Free Prediction
The Horned Frogs come in on a high note after defeating the Texas Longhorns in their last outing, 87-71. The Horned Frogs held the Longhorns to an offensive rebounding percentage of 18.5 (below their season average of 29.9) and had a turnover percentage of 8.3 (better than their season average of 15.5). TCU was lifted by Vladimir Brodziansky, who was the top scorer from either team with 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
The last time the Mountaineers played, they lost a close one to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 88-85. Oklahoma State made good use of their 36 trips to the free throw line, converting on 30 of them (83.3 percent). West Virginia, meanwhile, was 24-28 (85.7 percent). With 33 points on 11-for-18 shooting, Jevon Carter was the top scorer from either team.
The high-octane offense of West Virginia (44th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 113.1) will go head-to-head against the porous defense of TCU (256th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 106.5). The Mountaineers should have the advantage on that side of the ball.
TCU heads into the contest with records of 17-8 straight up (SU) and 12-11-1 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Horned Frogs have typically gone over the O/U total (66.7 percent).
Meanwhile, West Virginia is 18-7 SU and 10-11 ATS. Contrary to TCU, a little over half of Mountaineers games have finished under the total.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. Brodziansky recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the first matchup, in which the Horned Frogs defeated the Mountaineers 82-73, covering as 2-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 155 points, hitting the projected point total. The Horned Frogs had a much better free throw rate (0.390 vs. 0.213) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.500 vs. 0.380).
TCU Horned Frogs at West Virginia Mountaineers Odds Pick
Basketball Pick: SU Winner – West Virginia, ATS Winner – TCU, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
TCU is 5-4-1 ATS on the road with 6 overs and 4 unders.
West Virginia is 5-5 ATS at home with 6 unders and 4 overs.
West Virginia ranks 67th in assists allowed per game (12.1) while TCU ranks 251st (16.1).
The Mountaineers rank 36th in three pointers attempted per game (26.1) while the Horned Frogs rank 184th in three pointers allowed per game (23.1).
West Virginia ranks 25th in blocks per game (4.9) while TCU ranks 171st in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
The Horned Frogs rank seventh in rebounds allowed per game (30.0) while the Mountaineers rank 151st (35.0).
West Virginia ranks 11th in steals per game (8.5) while TCU ranks 90th (6.8).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, TCU is 2-2-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
West Virginia is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Horned Frogs’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.4, down from 8.2 for the season.
During their last five games, the Mountaineers have scored an average of 80.4 points per game (0.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 77.6 points per game (9.5 above their season average).
