What the ESPN BPI Says About West Virginia's Chances vs Oklahoma

The Mountaineers are viewed as a small underdog in Saturday's contest.

No. 9 West Virginia will begin their two-game road trip to Oklahoma later this evening against Lon Kruger's Oklahoma Sooners. 

West Virginia has just a 42.1% chance to win the game according to the ESPN BPI. Oklahoma has had their fair share of success against the Mountaineers over the years and is looking to start the 2021 portion of their schedule with a win over a top 10 team.

Oklahoma hasn't played since falling 69-67 to Texas Tech back on December 22nd. The long layoff could be concerning, but they have a small advantage as West Virginia will be playing its first game since the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe. Although I believe the Mountaineers will be okay in the long-term, it's going to take a handful of games for Huggins to get a good feel for his new rotation and which guys work best together in an actual game. 

Is the BPI accurate on West Virginia's chances to defeat Oklahoma?

Yes, absolutely. I believe Oklahoma is in a much better spot and should be considered the favorite. West Virginia had trouble winning games on the road last season and will have to prove that narrative to be a one-year anomaly. West Virginia is the better team, but I'm expecting the Mountaineers to fall short in this one so I'd say the BPI is right on the money with this one. It's not like West Virginia has zero chance in this game. In fact, I think they could win, but based on the recent road struggles, 42% is a fair number.

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