Mercyhurst Lakers vs West Virginia Mountaineers Matchup

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

Mercyhurst vs West Virginia Prediction

The Lakers and Mountaineers are set to face off at 2:00 ET on ESPN+. The Mountaineers will host the game at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 136.5 points, with West Virginia being favored by -32.5 over Mercyhurst.

Mercyhurst vs. West Virginia Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Mercyhurst Lakers at West Virginia Mountaineers
Where: Morgantown at WVU Coliseum
Date: Sunday, December 22nd
Betting Odds WVIR -32.5, MRCY +3900 | WVIR -15000 O/U 136.5

Lakers Preview: Can The Lakers Secure a Road Victory?

Mercyhurst's season record dropped to 3-8 after a narrow 62-60 road loss to Binghamton on Wednesday. Entering the game as +6 underdogs, the Lakers kept it closer than expected, covering the spread.

Mercyhurst led 28-24 at halftime but allowed 38 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32. The game’s total points of 122 fell short of the 132.5 O/U line.

Lakers Offense Breakdown

Mercyhurst's offense struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 3 of 16 attempts for an 18.8% three-point shooting percentage. Overall, they shot 40.4% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 42.3%. The Lakers did manage to connect on 50% of their two-point attempts and were efficient from the free-throw line, making 15 of 18 shots for an 83.3% success rate.

Chris Walker was the team's top performer from deep, hitting 3 of 6 three-point attempts and finishing with 17 points and 5 assists. Tymu Chenery led the team in scoring with 19 points, despite shooting just 1 of 6 from three-point range. The Lakers finished with only 6 assists as a team and grabbed 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Lakers Team Defense

Mercyhurst's defense gave up 62 points in their last game, with opponents shooting 45% from the field, including 53% on two-point attempts (17/32). From beyond the arc, the opposing team went 5/16, hitting 31% of their three-point shots.

At the free-throw line, Mercyhurst's opponents made 13 of 20 attempts, shooting 65%. The Lakers limited second-chance opportunities, allowing just 5 offensive rebounds.

Mountaineers Preview: Can West Virginia Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

The Mountaineers improved to 8-2 on the season with an 84-61 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. Playing at home, West Virginia was a -23.5 favorite going into the game but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game hit 145, surpassing the O/U line of 137.5.

West Virginia led 41-30 at halftime and continued their strong play in the second half, outscoring the Wildcats 43-31.

Mountaineers Offense Breakdown

West Virginia put up 84 points in their last game, shooting 46.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 55.2%. They connected on 38.5% of their threes, going 10-for-26, and were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, hitting 20 of 22 attempts for a 90.9% rate.

Javon Small led the way with 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, shooting 46.7% overall and 50% from deep. Amani Hansberry contributed 16 points on 66.7% shooting, while Jonathan Powell and Brayon Freeman each added 14 points, with Powell hitting 4 threes at a 44.4% clip.

Mountaineers Team Defense

West Virginia’s defense gave up 61 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 46% from the field. They allowed 53% shooting on two-point attempts, as the other team went 17/32 inside the arc.

From three-point range, West Virginia’s opponents hit 10/26, good for 38%. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 22 times, where they made 20 free throws, shooting 90%. West Virginia allowed 6 offensive rebounds.

Lakers vs Mountaineers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Mercyhurst has a 1-4 record in their last five road games. In this stretch, they averaged 59 points per game while allowing 74. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
Across their last three home contests, West Virginia has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 79 points per game.
In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Lakers have a straight up record of 3-7 and an ATS mark of 7-3.
Through their last five games as the favorite, the Mountaineers have an ATS record of 3-2 and a straight up mark of 5-0.