TCU +9½ -106 over West Virginia
The Mountaineers are off to a strong 12-1 start and they’re probably deserving of their #19 ranking but what they are not deserving of is being near a double-digit favorite in this troubling scheduling spot. The Mountaineers have played one ranked team so far this season and that would count for their only loss. Against Virginia, the Mountaineers lost by 16 points. West Virginia’s next toughest opponent was K-State, a team they faced this past Saturday and defeated by four points as a 4½-point favorite in double OT. That game had to take a bit of a toll and now the Mountaineers will play their third straight on the road in six nights. After this one, West Virginia returns home for games against Oklahoma State and Kansas. And if basketball is all about matchups, we’re not so sure this is a favorable one for the Mountaineers because TCU’s strength is in their frontcourt. West Virginia has put up some crooked numbers this season by hitting a high percentage of their shots against a lot of bad teams. Those open looks won’t be as easy to come by against the Horned Frogs.
TCU was a much better team last year than most realized. They only won four Big 12 games and their non-conference slate was extremely weak (thus the 13-0 start), but they played pretty well against some of the top teams in the Big 12. They only lost to Kansas by three at home and by nine in Kansas and they took West Virginia and Baylor into overtime. The Horned Frogs may not have the top level talent to compete with the top Big 12 teams on a regular basis, but this is a squad that should be able to win a few more Big 12 games and take that next step forward. What we like about the Frogs is their frontcourt strength and depth. We also like newcomer combo guard Malique Trent. He spent one season at New Mexico Junior College where he averaged 15.8 points and 2.0 assists. One of the top junior college transfers in the country, Trent has stepped right into the starting role and doesn’t look a bit out of place. TCU already has played one ranked team tough at home when they lost to #22 SMU by just five points. When you consider that the Mountaineers are in a serious sandwich spot here, that they’re spotting inflated points because of their high ranking and record and that TCU can match them in the frontcourt, the value here is once again on an unranked team at home taking back significant points. West Virginia has already opened up Big-12 play with a win and they have more important fish to fry on deck. Pick: TCU +9½ -106 Risking 2.12 units to win 2).
The Mountaineers are off to a strong 12-1 start and they’re probably deserving of their #19 ranking but what they are not deserving of is being near a double-digit favorite in this troubling scheduling spot. The Mountaineers have played one ranked team so far this season and that would count for their only loss. Against Virginia, the Mountaineers lost by 16 points. West Virginia’s next toughest opponent was K-State, a team they faced this past Saturday and defeated by four points as a 4½-point favorite in double OT. That game had to take a bit of a toll and now the Mountaineers will play their third straight on the road in six nights. After this one, West Virginia returns home for games against Oklahoma State and Kansas. And if basketball is all about matchups, we’re not so sure this is a favorable one for the Mountaineers because TCU’s strength is in their frontcourt. West Virginia has put up some crooked numbers this season by hitting a high percentage of their shots against a lot of bad teams. Those open looks won’t be as easy to come by against the Horned Frogs.
TCU was a much better team last year than most realized. They only won four Big 12 games and their non-conference slate was extremely weak (thus the 13-0 start), but they played pretty well against some of the top teams in the Big 12. They only lost to Kansas by three at home and by nine in Kansas and they took West Virginia and Baylor into overtime. The Horned Frogs may not have the top level talent to compete with the top Big 12 teams on a regular basis, but this is a squad that should be able to win a few more Big 12 games and take that next step forward. What we like about the Frogs is their frontcourt strength and depth. We also like newcomer combo guard Malique Trent. He spent one season at New Mexico Junior College where he averaged 15.8 points and 2.0 assists. One of the top junior college transfers in the country, Trent has stepped right into the starting role and doesn’t look a bit out of place. TCU already has played one ranked team tough at home when they lost to #22 SMU by just five points. When you consider that the Mountaineers are in a serious sandwich spot here, that they’re spotting inflated points because of their high ranking and record and that TCU can match them in the frontcourt, the value here is once again on an unranked team at home taking back significant points. West Virginia has already opened up Big-12 play with a win and they have more important fish to fry on deck. Pick: TCU +9½ -106 Risking 2.12 units to win 2).
