What the ESPN BPI Says About West Virginia's Chances vs No. 12 Texas

According to the BPI, West Virginia doesn't have much of a chance vs Texas on the road.

West Virginia basketball is back after a week hiatus and will begin a very challenging three-game road swing by paying a visit to No. 12 Texas.

On paper, these two teams are very similar, which is likely why the first game was so entertaining. The Mountaineers and Longhorns will put on another show later this evening in what could be one of the best games on the Saturday slate. 

Texas edged out West Virginia earlier this season in Morgantown, 72-70, and now, the Mountaineers are looking to get their revenge and move up the Big 12 Conference standings.

With that said, the Mountaineers are not expected to win this game as the oddsmakers in Las Vegas favor Texas by 3.5 points and the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI) only gives West Virginia a 37.9% chance to leave Austin with a win. 

Considering how close the first contest was and how well the Mountaineers have played on the road in conference play, this percentage seems extremely low. West Virginia is 5-2 in Big 12 road games this season including five straight wins after dropping their first two to Kansas and Oklahoma. Bob Huggins has this team playing much better basketball and they have a whole lot to be ticked off about heading into this one. The last time they walked off the floor, they couldn't hit a game-winning layup vs Oklahoma in double-overtime and had to sit on it for an entire week. Then going back to what happened at the end of the game in the loss to Texas, this team will be highly motivated and ready to play.

West Virginia and Texas are set to tip-off at 3 p.m. on ABC.

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