North Carolina Central Eagles vs West Virginia Mountaineers Matchup

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

North Carolina Central vs West Virginia Prediction

Betting on today's Eagles and Mountaineers game? Catch the action at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV, as the Mountaineers hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this non-conference game currently have West Virginia as the -25.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 144.5 points.

North Carolina Central vs. West Virginia Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Carolina Central Eagles at West Virginia Mountaineers
Where: Morgantown at WVU Coliseum
Date: Tuesday, December 10th
Betting Odds WVIR -25.5, NCC +2500 | WVIR -10000 O/U 144.5

Eagles Preview: Can North Carolina Central Lock in a Road Win?

North Carolina Central Eagles Recent Game/Games

The Eagles improved to 2-7 on the season with a 78-77 road win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday. Entering the game as +6 point underdogs, NC Central not only pulled off the upset but also covered the spread.

After trailing 41-28 at halftime, the Eagles turned things around by scoring 50 points in the 2nd half while holding Gardner-Webb to 36. The game’s total points of 155 exceeded the O/U line of 148.

Eagles Offense Breakdown

North Carolina Central put up 78 points in their last game, shooting 43.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 48.3%. They hit 6 of 18 from beyond the arc (33.3%) and connected on 22 of 28 free throws (78.6%).

Po'Boigh King led the way with 28 points, shooting 52.9% overall, though he struggled from three, hitting just 2 of 7. Anthony Selden added 25 points, shooting 69.2% from the field, despite missing all 3 of his three-point attempts.

Eagles Team Defense

North Carolina Central's defense struggled in their last game, allowing 77 points on 54% shooting from the field. The Eagles had a tough time defending inside, where they gave up 23 two-point baskets on 34 attempts, a 67% conversion rate.

From beyond the arc, North Carolina Central held their opponent to 29% shooting, with just 5 made threes on 17 attempts. However, they also sent them to the free-throw line 28 times, where they made 16. The Eagles allowed 11 offensive rebounds in the game.

Mountaineers Preview: Do the Mountaineers Have What it Takes at Home?

West Virginia Mountaineers Recent Game/Games

West Virginia improved to 6-2 on the season with a 73-60 home win over Georgetown on Friday. The Mountaineers were -8.5 favorites going into the game and covered the spread with the 13-point victory. The total points for the game were 133, falling short of the O/U line of 143.

After trailing 30-28 at halftime, West Virginia turned things around in the second half, outscoring the Hoyas 45-30. The Mountaineers' strong defensive effort in the second half was key to their win.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

Javon Small led West Virginia with 26 points and 5 rebounds in their last game, hitting 4 of 9 from deep and shooting 56.2% overall. Tucker DeVries added 15 points, connecting on 3 of 6 from three-point range, while Jayden Epps contributed 17 points, though he shot just 33.3% from beyond the arc.

As a team, the Mountaineers shot 45.6% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 52.6%. They hit 9 of 26 threes (34.6%) and were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, making 12 of 13 attempts (92.3%). West Virginia also recorded 13 assists and 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Mountaineers Team Defense

West Virginia's defense gave up 60 points in their last game, with their opponents shooting 45% from the field, including 54% on two-point attempts (17/31). From beyond the arc, they held their opponents to 34% shooting, as they went 9/26 from three-point range.

At the free-throw line, West Virginia's opponents shot 92%, making 12 of their 13 attempts. The Mountaineers allowed 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Eagles vs Mountaineers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past three road matchups, North Carolina Central has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 77 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
Although West Virginia has a straight up record of 2-8 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
As the betting underdog, the Eagles have an ATS mark of just 5-3-2 in their last ten games. North Carolina Central posted a straight up mark of 2-8 in these matchups.
West Virginia has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 5-0 SU and 5-0 ATS in their last five games.