Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. North Carolina Central

Tuesday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers will be back in action inside the WVU Coliseum to play host to the North Carolina Central Eagles.

Here's how we see this one playing out.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 87, NC Central 57

For the first time in a while, the Mountaineers will have an opportunity to win a game convincingly from the jump and empty its bench at some point in the second half, perhaps earlier.

The Eagles were picked to finish third in the MEAC preseason poll, but they're out to a struggling start, with two of their four wins coming against Carolina University and Virginia-Lynchburg. This isn't exactly a team that's built to compete against a high major, and that will be pretty evident early on.

While Javon Small, Tucker DeVries, and Amani Hansberry will get their points, this is a great opportunity for another scorer to begin to emerge, be it Jonathan Powell, or someone else on the bench.

West Virginia wins this one big and improves to 7-2.

Prediction record: 6-2.

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 91, NC Central 66

West Virginia has shown improvement and found ways to win in every single outing this season.

The Mountaineers' non-conference schedule lightens up in the final three games of the four-game homestand after notching a pair of signature wins against a top-10 Gonzaga team and Arizona, although Arizona is no longer ranked.

The biggest question is if the Mountaineers can remain focused going down the stretch and handle these mid-major teams like they did at the start of the season.

Javon Small has been poised throughout the season and leads the team in scoring with 19.8 ppg, but has produced his biggest numbers as a Mountaineer in the last four games against some of the better teams in the country, averaging 24.3 ppg during that span.

Then, there's forwards Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry. Also, guard Toby Okani and Jonathan Powell. Oh, and center Eduardo Andre continues to find his role on the team. The list of contributors in this edition of Mountaineer basketball continues to grow with the season.

I expect NC Central to be formidable and cause the Mountaineers some issues with Levelle Moton at the helm. He's led the program to four NCAA Tournament appearances after the program elevated to the Division I level. Nonetheless, West Virginia cruises to a 91-66 victory.

Prediction record: 5-3.

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 87, NC Central 57

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 91, NC Central 66

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