For the eighth time in program history, the Arizona Wildcats will face the West Virginia Mountaineers. Arizona currently has a 4-3 lead in the all-time series against them. This season, Arizona has been the best team in college basketball while going 19-0 and 6-0 in the Big 12. West Virginia has a 13-6 record, including a 4-2 conference record.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is a -18.5-point favorite with the over/under being 144.5 points. Check out my best bet for today’s West Virginia-Arizona game.
West Virginia vs. Arizona (2:00 p.m. ET)
Arizona is coming off a 26-point victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday, January 21. The Wildcats are ranked No. 2 overall on KenPom with the third-best defensive rating and fourth-best offensive rating. Arizona has been an incredibly balanced team this season, as it doesn’t have one clear-cut best player but rather an extremely deep rotation. They have five players averaging at least 10 points per game, with seven scoring at least eight points. Arizona’s frontcourt trio of Koa Peat, Mo Krivas, and Tobe Awaka has been a major part of the Wildcats’ success this season. Also, they possess one of the best backcourts in the country with freshman Brayden Burries and veteran Jaden Bradley.
West Virginia has won two straight games since their last loss. They beat Colorado and Arizona by 11 points each. The Mountaineers do have four double-digit scorers, but they only average 73.3 points per contest, the second-fewest in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Arizona scores the most points per game in the Big 12 (89.9). West Virginia’s leading scorer is Honor Huff, who averages 16.6 points per game. On KenPom, West Virginia is ranked 58th with an 84th offensive rating and the 45th defensive rating.
The spread may seem high, but Arizona has won 13 of its 19 games this season by at least 19 points. West Virginia has struggled against its last two top-10 opponents. The Mountaineers lost by 29 points to Houston and by 21 points to Iowa State this season. Both of those teams are talented, but aren’t currently on Arizona’s level. West Virginia has scored only 75, 72, and 48 points in its previous three games, which shouldn’t be enough to keep up with Arizona.
