Score Predictions for West Virginia at Cincinnati
The West Virginia Mountaineers (9-21, 4-13) are on the road for the regular season finale to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (17-13, 6-11) Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2:00 and the action will stream on ESPN+.
Schuyler Callihan: Cincinnati 77, West Virginia 73.
West Virginia is winless on the road this season and I nearly picked them to get that first road dub today, but I just couldn't quite do it. That said, I do think this is going to be a much more competitive game than the oddsmakers believe. Cincinnati has won just three games since the start of February, only two more than the lowly Mountaineers.
Jesse Edwards will be key in this one, as he was in the first bout with the Bearcats. I expect Josh Eilert will force feed him the ball, much like they did on Saturday against TCU. To get the sweep of Cincinnati, WVU is going to need consistent shooting on the perimeter from guys like RaeQuan Battle and Kerr Kriisa and that's a tough ask for a team that has scored the ball at a considerably lower rate on the road.
Give me the Bearcats.
Christopher Hall: Cincinnati 78, West Virginia 69.
West Virginia is on a four-game losing streak and has yet to win a road game this season. The Mountaineers have lost seven of the Big 12 road games by double digits with the most recent road loss coming to Kansas State after coming back from a 29-point deficit to send the game to OT.
Cincinnati has dropped four of its last five games, but West Virginia has been horrendous on the road and primarily stems from the defensive end of the floor.
West Virginia won the first meeting in Morgantown 69-65, but the Mountaineers have been horrendous on the road and the issues primarily stem from the defensive end of the floor.
The lack of defense plagues WVU again. Cincinnati cruises to a 78-69 win.