Score Predictions for West Virginia at Iowa State
The West Virginia Mountaineers (14-13, 3-11) are on the road, wrapping up a two-game road trip against the Iowa State Cyclones (18-9, 5-9) Wednesday night at 7:00, and will be televised on ESPNU.
Schuyler Callihan: Iowa State 75, West Virginia 67
This West Virginia team has checked out. Losing on Monday to TCU was a crusher and now, they've got to turn right back around and play the Cyclones who have revenge on their mind.
After listening to what Bob Huggins had to say on Monday night, I don't get the sense that this team will be mentally into this game. He has cited a lack of "fire", "hunger", and questions if a large portion of the team even wants to be here. That's not getting a vote of confidence from me.
Iowa State was the last team West Virginia beat and on that night, they did a lot of things well. They spaced the floor, hit shots, and actually made an emphasis on boxing out and rebounding the basketball. But, unfortunately, since that game, the Mountaineers have failed to replicate that.
The Cyclones need to avoid another loss to a bad West Virginia team, and they will.
Christopher Hall: Iowa State 73 West Virginia 61
This game will be telling if this team is preparing to make a run or moving onto next season. This game is by far West Virginia's best matchup inside the Big 12 Conference, but this team is losing their legs, and losing 11 of the last 12 games has been mentally taxing.
West Virginia won the first meeting 79-63 and the rebounding battle 37-28. In the Mountaineers' last 11 losses, they've been outrebounded by an average of 10.5 per game, while shooting 36.3% from the field, including 30.4% from three-point range.
Iowa State suffered a five-game stretch of shooting 37.9% from the field, including 26.7% from behind the arc, which resulted in four losses, but shot 67.3% in the blowout win over Oklahoma on Saturday.
I don't think the Cyclones will pick up where they left off, but this matchup marks the third game for the Mountaineer in five days, while Iowa State has momentum and looking to solidify its postseason status. Iowa State outlasts WVU 73-61.
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