Baylor vs. West Virginia: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
No team in the country may have had a better week than Baylor. Can the Bears continue the momentum against West Virginia?
TV schedule: Tuesday, February 20, 7:00 p.m. ET. ESPN2
Arena: Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas
When Baylor 17-10 (7-7) started out conference play 2-7, they were left for dead when it came to the team’s chances at an at-large bid. But led by the senior duo of Manu Lecomte and Jo-Lual Acuil, the Bears won five straight games, including wins over top-10 teams Kansas and Texas Tech.
Lecomte in particular has played great as of late. In the first several games of Big 12 play, he shot horribly from the field, giving the team little chance to win. However, the Belgium point guard has averaged over 15 ppg and five apg in the winning streak. Junior Terry Maston has played a big role as of late as well, dropping a game-high 24 points in the win over the Red Raiders.
Baylor is now in bubble position, but needs to continue to dig out of the huge hole the team dug themselves in from earlier. They have a great chance to do that against West Virginia 19-8 (8-6), coming off of a loss to Kansas. Once again, the Mountaineers had a double-digit lead in the second half versus the Jayhawks, but the offense went stagnant and couldn’t score enough to prevent the comeback. Daxter Miles Jr. led all scorers with 22 points, with Jevon Carter having 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
On January 9, these two teams faced off earlier, with the Mountaineers winning in Morgantown, 57-54. Both teams struggled on offense, with no player scoring more than 13 points. Despite shooting just 31% from the field, West Virginia was able to hold off for the win to start off 4-0 in league play.
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This is an important game for West Virginia when it comes to seeding, but Baylor’s at-large hopes are on the line. With this game being in Waco, this has to go the Bear’s way. And based on momentum, I like them to get this close win, while the Mountaineers continue to figure out their offense.
Prediction: West Virginia 58 – Baylor 62