West Virginia vs. Baylor NCAA Betting Lines, Preview and Pick — March 2, 2021

By Carlos Chacon • February 24, 2021

As impressive as the West Virginia Mountaineers have been, the Baylor Bears still remain as the best team in the Big 12 by a long shot.

Baylor has yet to suffer defeat this entire 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season and would be in a virtual tie with Gonzaga as the best team in the nation if not for a handful of postponed matches. Meanwhile, WVU is currently ranked 10th in the AP 25, having secured two-straight wins heading into Thursday’s contest in Waco.

These two conference rivals will finally clash for this first time this season after two separate postponements delayed their bout to this very week. Which team will come out with another W and strengthen its bid at the National Title come the 2021 March Madness campaign?

Let’s check out each team’s betting background along with the latest College Basketball odds, expert preview, and prediction.

West Virginia vs. Baylor Game Information

When: Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 4:00 PM ET
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 1660 ESPN Radio (Baylor) // West Virginia Sports
Live Stream: WatchESPN
NCAA Basketball Odds: TBA

Why Bet on the West Virginia Mountaineers on February 25th?

The one-point loss to Oklahoma on February 13 must’ve awakened the power deep inside the West Virginia Mountaineers, who’ve since won two in a row. They defeated then-No. 12 Texas by two points after the aforementioned loss and followed that up with a convincing 74-66 win over TCU on Tuesday.

Junior forward Derek Culver, who’s averaging over 15 points and 10 rebounds per game this season, had another beastly double-double stat line against the Horned Frogs with 18 points and 14 boards. Senior guard Taz Sherman (12.7 PPG) also came off the bench for a team-high 23 points.

There’s a lot of talent on this West Virginia squad, which also has sharpshooter Miles McBride. The second-year guard scored just 11 points during Tuesday’s win, but still leads all West Virginia players averaging 16.2 points per contest.

With plenty of firepower on offense, Baylor’s defense must be up to the task of leveling the Mountaineers’ momentum.

Why Bet on the Baylor Bears to Win on February 25th?

In terms of NCAA Basketball odds, only one team is being considered as a direct challenger to top-ranked Gonzaga’s claim as the best team in the nation, and that team is the No. 2 Baylor Bears.

The Bears kept their perfect season intact by winning their 18th consecutive game of the 2020-21 college basketball season on Tuesday with a relatively narrow 77-72 victory over Iowa State. Star guard Jared Butler scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half to ensure that his team doesn’t suffer its first defeat all season long.

While the five-point margin isn’t very encouraging, it’s worth noting that Baylor hasn’t played a game prior to Tuesday’s win since February 2 due to COVID-19 concerns. As such, the team shot just 32 percent from the three-point range in its first game back since the long layoff.

Nevertheless, the Bears still have the third-highest scoring offense in the country with an average of 87 points scored per game. Should the battle between them and the Mountaineers indeed go the shootout, the overall offensive numbers still favor the home team this Thursday.

West Virginia vs. Baylor Betting Trends

West Virginia has won all six of its most recent road games (5-1 ATS).
Baylor has not lost at home since February of last year; a streak of 11-straight home wins (6-5 ATS).
WVU is just 2-4 against the Bears at Waco since 2015 (3-3 ATS).
The Beats are 9-2 at home in the month of February since the 2019 season, but just 4-6-1 against the spread.
The under is 4-2 in those last six West Virginia vs. Baylor matches held at Ferrell Center.
However, the point total has gone under in four of the last five meetings between the two teams in general

West Virginia vs. Baylor Expert Betting Predictions

It’s hard to argue against the sheer dominance of Baylor this season. On the other hand, their first game back from a rather lengthy break wasn’t as dominant as one would expect.

As such, the Mountaineers are starting to sizzle again at the right time and have more momentum on their side despite what the Bears’ record for the season would suggest.

All things considered, one wouldn’t be in the wrong to think that either Baylor wins in convincing fashion, or that WVU can indeed shockingly put an end to the Bears’ undefeated run this Thursday.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.