Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Bethune-Cookman

Picking tonight's game between the Mountaineers and Wildcats.

West Virginia University guard Toby Okani. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

It's been an exciting week for West Virginia athletics with the hiring of a new head football coach, and now, Mountaineer fans are in a position to see a lopsided win in men's basketball on Saturday evening as they welcome in the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

Here are our predictions for tonight's contest.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 80, Bethune-Cookman 54

West Virginia was going to win this game regardless, but with Bethune-Cookman coming in after playing just last night against Virginia, oh boy. You have to feel for the Wildcats, as this one could get pretty ugly in a hurry.

Bethune has had a lot of issues on the offensive end of the floor early on this season, shooting just 39% from the field, 31% from three-point range, and 65% from the free throw line. I don't expect them to all of a sudden solve those shooting woes against this Mountaineer team that prides itself in playing stingy defense.

Even with Tucker DeVries in street clothes, the Mountaineers won't have much trouble picking up win No. 8 on the year. It's another opportunity for youngsters like Jonathan Powell and KJ Tenner to produce on the offensive end and build confidence heading into Big 12 play.

Prediction record: 7-2.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 81, Bethune-Cookman 55

West Virginia is 5-0 at the Coliseum this season and it’s safe to say the Mountaineers will keep their unblemished home mark Saturday night.

Bethune-Cookman has notched two wins on the season but has played some of its Power Four competition down to the wire. In the Wildcats’ last outing, they led by three at Virginia with 10 minutes left in the game but were outscored 25-4 to fall 59-41. Bethune-Cookman also clawed its way back from a 12-point second half deficit at Nebraska to get within three with under 20 seconds remaining before falling by five, 63-58, in the third game of the season.

Guards Brayon Freeman and Trey Thomas have been key for the Wildcats. Freeman leads the team with 16.2 points per game while Thomas is second in scoring at 11.7 ppg.

While this game should be won handedly by the Mountaineers, the program has struggled with but games in years past as the holidays approached. WVU allowed teams to hang around before pulling away late but this has not been the case for head coach Darian DeVries in his first season at the helm with guys still vying for playing time as the Big 12 Conference schedule approaches.

The team’s second-leading scorer Tucker DeVries is out indefinitely with an undisclosed upper-body injury, and guards Jonathan Powell, KJ Tenner, and Joseph Yesufu saw their minutes increase significantly in the win against North Carolina Central earlier in the week.

Powell led all scorers with 17 points after a four-game slump. The freshman had shot just 2-15 from the three-point range during that span but was 4-11 in the win Tuesday night.

Yesufu put in a Mountaineer career-high14 points while Tenner had nine points with six assists and a pair of steals. Powell has shot in his last four games prior to Tuesday night's win where he shot 4-11 from behind the arc.

The Mountaineers continue to find or solidify their roles heading down the final stretch of the non-conference schedule and should not have a problem handling a two-win Bethune-Cookman squad, despite its scrappy play. West Virginia collects win number eight 81-55.

Prediction record: 6-3.

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