Predicting the Final Score for West Virginia's Clash with Wake Forest

Thanks to Mercyhurst and Coppin State, West Virginia was able to pick up two more wins and get Jackson Fields integrated into the lineup. Now, the competition steps up a notch or twelve with Wake Forest meeting them in Charleston for a neutral court game.

Here are our picks for tonight's game.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 73, Wake Forest 71

Although I have the Mountaineers winning, I'm not all that confident they get the job done. Don't let Wake's 6-3 record fool you. This is a quality team that has just fallen short on a couple of occasions against a pair of top-15 teams.

Juke Harris is going to be a handful for West Virginia's guards to defend, especially given his length. Somehow, some way, they need to force the ball out of his hands and run him off the three-point line. Going underneath screens, which this team has done on occasion for whatever reason, is just asking for trouble. If they fight over the top of the screen and push him off the line, they'll have a much better chance of forcing a tough shot.

I've got this one going down to the wire, and why not call for some craziness? I'll go with Honor Huff sinking a three to take the lead, and Brenen Lorient swatting a shot away at the buzzer to seal the deal.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Wake Forest 64

West Virginia will be highly tested by Wake Forest.

Wake Forest lost neutral site games against currently top 20 teams Michigan and Texas Tech by a combined two points. While the Demon Deacons are still searching for their first Power Four win of the season after suffering an 86-68 home loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. They did notch a win against Memphis, although the Tigers are sitting below .500 on the season.

Sophomore guard Juke Harris has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 19.9 points per game, while also corralling a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, and at six-foot-seven, he’s a matchup nightmare.

West Virginia bounced back with a pair of wins after a disappointing showing at the Charleston Classic, and the Mountaineers put up 91 points, their highest point total of the season, to defeat Coppin State Wednesday night.

Senior transfer guard Honor Huff leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, behind a team-high 31 made threes.

This game will come down to the final moments, and if it doesn’t, it will be due to Wake Forest turnovers. The Demon Deacons are averaging 12.1 turnovers per game compared to West Virginia’s 9.4 turnovers per game, and that will be the difference as the Mountaineers eke out the win, 67-64.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 73, Wake Forest 71

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Wake Forest 64

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