West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State College Basketball prediction, preview
The Cowboys enter Tuesday’s home matchup against the Mountaineers on a five-game losing streak, but are in a solid spot to get one back in the win column. Oklahoma State has been through a rough patch of schedule in Big 12 play, with all five losses coming as the underdog. The Cowboys are 13-0 when priced as the favorite this season, including 11-0 at home.
This will be the first time this month that Oklahoma State is the favorite, with its last win coming as a home underdog to BYU. Playing as the home favorite is where this team thrives, and it catches West Virginia at a good time. The Mountaineers have lost four of six games, including a pair of games as the favorite. WVU is a solid 3-4 on the road, but this will be a hungry Oklahoma State team to snap this losing streak.
West Virginia ranks 151st in offensive rating on KenPom, the worst in the Big 12 — impressively dropping below Cincinnati recently. WVU is just 300th nationally in points per game, and its scoring dips from 72 points at home to just 64.6 points per game on the road. The Mountaineers try to slow games down and win with their defense, which will create an interesting clash of style in this one.
Oklahoma State ranks top-10 in adjusted tempo on KenPom, so look for the Cowboys to push the pace at home. More possessions should mean more chances for OKST to pull ahead if WVU’s offense is stuck in mud, the way it has been all season away from home. I’ll back the Cowboys to get a much needed win at home on Tuesday night.
