Spread, Over/Under, & Predictions for West Virginia vs. No. 3 Iowa State

The Mountaineers open Big 12 play as massive underdogs.

West Virginia University center Harlan Obioha | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

The dry spell is over. Tonight, West Virginia basketball returns, and it's a big one. The Mountaineers will battle third-ranked Iowa State on the road to open up Big 12 Conference play.

Here are my predictions for tonight's game. Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Spread: Iowa State -16.5

Prediction: Iowa State covers.

Iowa State is the class of the Big 12 and just might be the best team in all of college basketball. In non-conference play, they scooped up some pretty impressive wins, including a blowout of No.1 Purdue on the road.

West Virginia, on the other hand, has not fared well away from Hope Coliseum, even going 0-4 on a neutral floor. Going to Hilton for their first true road game of the year is far from ideal, much less when the Cyclones are humming like they are.

The Mountaineers may be a little rusty as well, having not played a game since December 22nd. Meanwhile, the Clones just played on Monday night, albeit against Houston Christian. This is a tough challenge for West Virginia to overcome, and I can easily see things getting away from them in the second half.

Over/Under: 140.5

Prediction: Over.

This game boasts two of the top 10 scoring defenses in the country, with West Virginia ranked fourth, allowing 60.2 a game, and Iowa State ranked ninth, which allows 62.8 per night. That said, I don't put a ton of stock into that category until we're a handful of games into conference play, as much of it is skewed with a number of inferior opponents on the schedule early on. I'm slightly leaning toward the over, simply because I think Iowa State figures out WVU's defense early in the second half and has a monster half where they can finish the game with 80+.

Tip is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. After the game, head over to our YouTube page (West Virginia On SI) for the Mountaineer Postgame Show, where we'll take a look at the final numbers, talk about the positives, what needs to improve, and much more.

Note: Our predictions are not to be taken as gambling advice. These predictions are simply to give an opinion on what we think will happen in this week's game.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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