Score Prediction for West Virginia vs. Ohio State

The West Virginia Mountaineers (5-7) head to Cleveland for the Legends of Basketball Showcase to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the action is airing on FOX.

Schuyler Callihan: Ohio State 84, West Virginia 71.

This would have been a golden opportunity for the Mountaineers to notch a quality win for their rather lackluster NCAA Tournament resume. Unfortunately without Jesse Edwards, it's going to make it extremely difficult for West Virginia to match up with a lot of teams inside.

Ohio State doesn't necessarily overwhelm you with size but they are a physical bunch that crashes the boards hard. They rank 37th nationally in rebounding margin whereas West Virginia ranks 224th. A clear, distinct advantage inside for Ohio State and if they can continue to shoot the rock well from distance, it will be a long day for the Mountaineers on that end of the floor.

Ohio State wins this one comfortably.

Christopher Hall: Ohio State 77, West Virginia 68.

West Virginia is still searching for answers as guard Noah Farrakhan, RaeQuan Battle, and point guard Kerr Kriisa are getting acquainted with one another entering their fourth game of the season, while Battle enters his third. Battle has scored 29 points in his first two games as a Mountaineer and Kriisa put up a double double in his last outing in the win versus Toledo last week.

However, the Mountaineers are without center Jesse Edwards, who has been sidelined with a wrist injury and is not expected to be back for another few weeks.

Meanwhile, Ohio State is led by guard Bruce Thronton's 17.4 points and 4.1 assists per game, while forward Jamison Battle is averaging 14.1 ppg behind a team-high 41.9% from three-point range.

West Virginia struggled on the defensive end while trying to gel and find consistency on offense and Ohio State will take advantage of the Mountaineers' deficiencies in the latter stages of the game. WVU battles throughout but Ohio State takes over late and walks away with a 77-68 victory.

What the ESPN BPI Says About WVU vs. Ohio State

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