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Booger and Tess are gone for this season, but you can still watch ESPN and sweat a game to start the work week! The best way to deal with a case of the Mondays? Finding value! There’s a quality college hoops game on The Deuce tonight, and there might be an angle for some decent pricing.
The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater tonight, and a contrast in styles makes for some appealing basketball, with the ‘Pokes trying to make their case for March starting now.
Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming
West Virginia-Oklahoma State will air January 6th on ESPN 2 at 8 p.m. EST. It’s also available via streaming on WatchESPN.
Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends
Spread: Pick ‘em! (opened WVU -2)
Total: 138.5 (opened 136)
Money Line: OK State -102
The 2020 Mountaineers are a vintage Bob Huggins team: stifling, smothering, unending defensively, with an offense that has no problems throwing it off the shot clock to get put back rebounds. They hold opponents to just 36.2% shooting (5th in NCAA), and a microscopic 24.9% (4th) from three-point range.
Through 13 games they’ve out-rebounded opponents by 107, and are coming off a 60-53 loss at #3 Kansas on Saturday. Freshman Oscar Tshiebwe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been the go-to man early, leading all scorers at 12.2 points per game (remember this is a Huggins team, anyone in double-digits is good!), with sophomore Derek Culver the best on the glass at 9.7 per contest.
For the Cowboys and head coach Michael Boynton, the rebuild needs to be closer to complete after a 12-20 season last year. They got some quality wins early over Syracuse and Mississippi in Brooklyn earlier this year, but were throttled at Texas Tech 85-50 to open Big XII play on Saturday. Their 9-4 record is so full of cupcakes it should come with an EpiPen, and they’re just 2-5 ATS at home this season.
Senior guard Lindy Waters might have played for Henry Iba he’s been there so long, and he leads all scorers at 12.2 PPG. They’re defensively-minded as well, shooting just 41.9% this season from the floor, but holding opponents to 38.1% (25th in NCAA) against an easier schedule than their opponent so far.
The Pick: WVU pick ‘em, Under 138.5
We said it was basketball, we didn’t say it would be entertaining basketball! Both these teams can’t shoot fish in a barrel, but can really get after it defensively. If you can fade overtime, holding the line on the under is the play here. Let’s hope arena management reinforces the backboards for all the bricks that will be launched tonight.
Bob Huggins doesn’t get swept on the road over a weekend very often, and his charges should be seething after the tough loss in Lawrence. Don’t stand too close to the TV, and we might be setting basketball back a few years, but the blue and gold should head back to Morgantown a winner.
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