Arizona Wildcats vs West Virginia Mountaineers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Arizona vs West Virginia NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Morgantown.

Arizona vs West Virginia Prediction

The Wildcats and Mountaineers are set to face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN2. The Mountaineers will host the game at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. Arizona come into this Big 12 conference matchup as the -2.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 143.5 points.

Arizona vs. West Virginia Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Arizona Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers
Where: Morgantown at WVU Coliseum
Date: Tuesday, January 7th
Betting Odds ARZ -2.5, ARZ -141 | WVIR +116 O/U 143.5

Wildcats Preview: Pressure Builds for Arizona as Away Favorites

Arizona improved to 8-5 on the season after a 72-67 road win over Cincinnati on Saturday. The Wildcats entered the game as +3 underdogs but managed to cover the spread with the win.

Arizona led 39-26 at halftime but allowed 41 points in the 2nd half while scoring 33. The game’s total points of 139 fell short of the 146.5 O/U line.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Arizona put up 72 points in their last game, shooting 43.4% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. They hit 77.8% of their free throws, going 21-for-27 from the line.

Dan Skillings Jr. led the way with 18 points, while Jaden Bradley added 15. Carter Bryant was perfect from the field, hitting all 5 of his shots, including 3-for-3 from deep.

Wildcats Team Defense

Arizona's defense held their opponent to 67 points, with a field goal percentage of 39% (25/64). From two-point range, they allowed 20 makes on 39 attempts, a 51% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Arizona limited their opponent to 5/25 shooting, or 20%. They also sent them to the free-throw line 23 times, where they converted 12 attempts (52%). Arizona gave up 17 offensive rebounds.

Mountaineers Preview: Can West Virginia Deliver Being Underdogs at Home?

West Virginia improved to 11-2 on the season with a 69-50 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 4th. Playing at home, the Mountaineers entered the game as -8 favorites and covered the spread with the victory. The total points for the game were 119, falling well short of the 142.5 O/U line.

West Virginia dominated the first half, leading 46-19 at the break. However, they slowed down in the second half, scoring just 23 points while allowing 31.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

West Virginia put up 69 points in their last game, shooting 41.8% from the field and hitting 36.7% from beyond the arc, connecting on 11 of 30 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 50.9%, and they struggled at the free-throw line, making just 60% of their shots.

Javon Small led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 43.8% overall and 30% from three. Jonathan Powell added 17 points, hitting 5 of 7 from deep, while Marchelus Avery contributed 15 points despite shooting just 27.3% from three-point range.

Mountaineers Team Defense

West Virginia's defense held strong, giving up just 50 points while allowing the opponent to shoot 41% from the field. They managed to limit damage inside, with the other team hitting 48% of their two-point attempts (12/25).

From beyond the arc, the opposition shot 36%, connecting on 11 of 30 three-point tries. West Virginia also sent them to the line 20 times, where they made 12 free throws (60%). On the boards, the Mountaineers gave up 12 offensive rebounds.

Wildcats vs Mountaineers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Arizona has played well in their previous 5 road games, going 3-2 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 79 points per game while allowing 76. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
In their last ten games at home, the Mountaineers have a straight up record of 3-7 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 72 points per game in these contests.
Looking back on the team's last ten games as the underdog, the Mountaineers have a straight up record of 3-7. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-5.
Through their last three games as the favorite, the Wildcats have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 3-0.