What the ESPN BPI Says About WVU's Chances vs Xavier
West Virginia and Xavier square off Saturday evening in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. WVU head coach Bob Huggins has quite the history with the Musketeers, having faced them 16 times as the head coach of the University of Cincinnati. His record against Xavier? 8-10.
If the math doesn't add up, which it doesn't, that's because Huggs and the Mountaineers lost a Sweet Sixteen matchup to Xavier in 2008 and he also lost to them while at Kansas State.
Although this may not have the same rivalry feel to it as 16 of those matchups did, this is a very important game for the Mountaineers. Xavier is currently rated No. 37 in the NCAA NET ratings, meaning this would qualify as a "Quad 1" game on WVU's resume. Getting as many of those wins as possible before conference play begins will be huge, considering how challenging the Big 12 is expected to be once again.
Each of these teams participated in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament over Thanksgiving weekend, where WVU came away with a fifth-place finish. Xavier had a much tougher slate facing Florida, Duke, and Gonzaga, finishing 1-2 in the tournament.
The one common opponent the two have, Florida, gave Xavier a run for their money losing by only seven. West Virginia ran right through the Gators, defeating them by 29.
According to the ESPN BPI, West Virginia has a 46.1% chance to win while Xavier has a 53.9% chance.
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