Score Predictions for West Virginia at UCF

Our staff picks tonight's game between the Mountaineers and Knights.

The West Virginia Mountaineers (7-11, 2-3) are on the road to take on the UFC Knights (11-6, 2-3) Tuesday night, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. and streaming on ESPN+. 

Schuyler Callihan: UCF 77, West Virginia 67.

Massive credit to the Mountaineers for knocking off Kansas, however, it took an incredible shooting performance to overcome another lackluster output on the defensive end of the floor. I'm curious to see how the Mountaineers handle success on the road this week after not showing up with their best last week in Norman following the win over Texas.

The Knights haven't shot the ball well from three (30.9%), but they do have guards that can get downhill and finish around the rim. Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson combine for an average of 30.6 points per game along with 3.2 steals on the defensive end. Guard play will be big in this game and I expect RaeQuan Battle and co. to fall back down to earth a little in this one.

West Virginia battles and even leads for much of the first half, but UCF takes control early on in the second half and wins by double digits.

Christopher Hall: UCF 66, West Virginia 65

Life on the road in the Big 12 Conference has been brutal for the Mountaineers the last two seasons. West Virginia won a mere two conference road games last year after going winless the season prior. West Virginia faced nationally ranked Houston and Oklahoma to begin its road slate this season, losing by 44 and 14, respectively. 

The Mountaineers have shown they can beat the best of the best at home but have not shown the same tenacity on the road. 

West Virginia had its best offensive output in the win against third-ranked Kansas on Saturday, shooting 51.8% from the field, including 12-21 from three-point range. However, in the five games away from the Coliseum, WVU shot over 40% from the field once, hitting 45.7% from the floor but was 7-23 from behind the arc in the 14-point loss at Oklahoma. 

UCF also knocked off Kansas at home and beat Texas on the road and are one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking third in the Big 12 in scoring defense 64.6 points allowed per game, fourth in steals per game (9.0) while holding opponents, forced turnovers per game (15.7), and rebounds per game (39.8), including ranking third in offensive rebounds per game at 13.4. 

The Mountaineers must come out with the same energy they play with inside the WVU Coliseum. If they do, West Virginia will come out with a victory, but they have not shown the ability to do so thus far. Until the Mountaineers prove otherwise, they will not get the benefit of the doubt. UCF edges WVU 66-65.

Spread & Over/Under Predictions for WVU at UCF

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