Keys to Victory and Game Information: West Virginia vs No. 9 Baylor

West Virginia men’s basketball finishes off a two-game stretch in the state of Texas as they face No. 9 Baylor on Monday night.

The Mountaineers are coming off of their worst loss in almost eight years, as they took a 34-point beating at the hands of No. 5 Texas on Saturday. Baylor on the other hand has been one of the hottest teams in the country since these two teams first faced off in mid-January. The Bears have won nine of their last 10, with the only loss during that stretch being a five-point road loss to Texas.

Safe to say for the Mountaineers things are going to be extremely difficult if they want to leave Waco with a win on Monday night. West Virginia should hope they just got their worst game of the season out of their system on Saturday, while Baylor hopes they can have a quick turnaround from a late-game emotional win over TCU on Saturday.

Keys To Victory

Don’t Turn the Ball Over 20 Times
This one is simple enough for West Virginia. Against Texas, you turned the ball over 20 times and that led to 34 percent of Texas’ 94 points. The Mountaineers turned the ball over only seven times against Baylor in their first matchup against the Bears. If West Virginia wants to have a shot at a the upset, they must not shoot themselves in the foot by committing the high quantity of turnovers.

Contain the Bears from Three
Statistically speaking, Baylor is the best three-point shooting team in the Big 12 this season, making 35.7 percent of their three-pointers this season. Since Big 12 play began, Baylor leads all teams with 106 made three-pointers, averaging 8.8 made three’s in each game. With that thought, the Bears have also shot just over 25 three-pointers per game since conference play began. Baylor will make shots from beyond the arc, but it is critical to keep them from going crazy.

Make 15 Free Throws
In Baylor’s four conference losses, the Bears’ opponents have made an average of 17 free throws per game, with the lowest total being 15. The Mountaineers made 24 free throws, but missed 11 in the first meeting between these two teams, while the Bears have had only two other opponents reach double-digit free throw makes in their wins in Big 12 play. In Baylor’s nine wins in their last 10 games, opponents are making 9.7 free throws per game.

Baylor is averaging 16.1 fouls per game. The idea should be to force the ball inside, make Baylor foul you. Making things physical might give you the best chance to win if you’re West Virginia. The Mountaineers are averaging 17.8 free throw makes per game this year. Stick to that average and you give yourselves a chance.

Game Information

TV
Monday night’s game will be televised on ESPN2.

Betting
Baylor is a 6.5 point favorite. The total number of points for tonight’s game is set at 148.5. Note, the first time these two teams played, the total number of points scored was 161.

History
Baylor leads the series 15-8 all-time. Baylor has beaten West Virginia in seven of their last eight meetings, while the Mountaineers’ last win in Waco was on Feb. 20, 2018.

Start Time/Other Info
The game is set to tip-off at 9:00 p.m. EST, 8:00 p.m. CST. The game is being played at Ferrell Center, in Waco, Texas.