With the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament looming, there’s some work left for the sixth-ranked Mountaineers in the regular season. WVU vs. Oklahoma State on Saturday could have major ramifications for seeding in the conference tourney.
Thus, bettors on West Virginia sports betting apps should take note of the situation. It will affect both the spread and the total for West Virginia college basketball betting against the Cowboys, but in different ways.
What does recent history tell us about the spread for WVU vs. Oklahoma State?
WV sportsbooks like BetMGM Sportsbook WV have the Mountaineers as a 7.5-point favorite at home Saturday. The game is set for 2 p.m. EST on ESPN2. The premise for WVU is simple: Win, and it’s the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 tournament. Lose, and it could drop as far as the fourth seed.
Oklahoma State has something to play for in this game as far as next week goes, too. A win and a Texas loss would vault them up into the fourth seed. Additionally, a road win over the Mountaineers would look great for their March Madness seeding.
When these two teams faced off in Stillwater on Jan. 4, West Virginia left with a three-point win. The Cowboys were unranked at the time. Since then, they have climbed up to No. 17. So more recent results may be a more accurate forecast of Saturday’s events.
OK State has won five of its last six, with the lone loss coming at No. 3 Baylor on Thursday. That stretch includes back-to-back victories over their in-state rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked as high as seventh at the time. A home win over No. 18 Texas Tech is in that mix, too.
In the Cowboys’ four road losses this season, their average margin of defeat is 7.25 points. WVU’s average margin of victory in home games so far this season is 12.3 points. That statistic is inflated by 22-point victories over Kansas State on Feb. 27 and Northeastern on Dec. 29, though.
Because both teams have plenty to play for here, that 7.5-point spread may be too generous. As far as the total goes, the line might be a bit stingy.
Cowboys, Mountaineers could blow by the line
When looking at totals for these teams in similar circumstances, lines like 148.5 at WV William Hill Sportsbook seem meager. Consider the totals for West Virginia home games against opponents who were ranked at the time:
- vs. No. 19 Richmond 12/13 – 158 points
- vs. No. 4 Texas 1/9 – 142 points
- vs. No. 10 Texas Tech 1/25 – 175 points
- vs. No. 23 Kansas 2/6 – 170 points
- vs. No. 13 Oklahoma 2/13 – 181 points
- vs. No. 3 Baylor 3/2 – 183 points
The list of totals from OK State’s road games against ranked opponents tells a similar story:
- at No. 11 Texas 12/20 – 151 points
- at No. 13 Texas Tech 1/2 – 159 points
- at No. 7 Oklahoma 2/27 – 184 points
- at No. 3 Baylor 3/4 – 151 points
The Mountaineers come in with the 48th-highest scoring average in Division I, and the Cowboys are at 65th in that same category, both averaging over 76 points per game. Bettors should also note that in four of the 10 games listed above, the contests went into overtime.
Given all that’s on the line for both teams Saturday, that might happen again. If this is a low-scoring game that WVU wins easily, it would defy recent trends for both sides.