PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* BEST OF THE BEST >> 9-3 WEEKEND! 14-5 L19 NCAAB 10*s!
(NCAAB) West Virginia vs. Baylor,
Point Spread: 1.00 | -110.00 West Virginia (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: 1.00 | -110.00 West Virginia (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: Kansas has clinched a 13th consecutive Big 12 regular season crown (ho-hum!) but current No. 12 West Virginia still has a chance to nail down the Big 12's No. 2 seed in the conference tourney. As for No. 9 Baylor (note: a new poll will be released prior to teh tip of this came), after earning the first-ever No. 1 ranking in school history back in early January, the Bears have suddenly lost five of their last eight games and need to sweep their final two games to avoid potentially slipping all the way to a No. 5 seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
West Virginia: The 23-6 Mountaineers are 11-5 in league play, tied with Iowa State but still must play the Cyclones in their regular-season finale on Friday night, although it's in Morgantown. The Mountaineers enter this contest having won five of their last six games, with the lone loss coming in overtime at conference champ Kansas, a contest in which West Va. led by seven points with just one minute to play! 6-8 sophomore forward Esa Ahmad, the team's second leading scorer (11.7), has not traveled to Waco because of back spasms. Junior guard Jevon Carter leads the team in scoring (12.7), assists (4.1) and a Big 12-leading 2.8 steals per game. The 6-9 Adrian is the only other player in double digits (10.4) plus leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 per. However, a trio guards in Phillip (9.3), Miles (8.7) and Myers (6.3) are all solid contributors.
Baylor: The Bears (23-6 / 10-6) surprised early on with an outstanding start but have fallen back to earth very quickly. The 6-10 Motley (17.3 & 9.8) gets quality help up front from the 7-0 Lual-Acuil (9.3 & 6.8) and the 6-8 Maston (6.9 & 3.7) plus PG Lecomte (12.4 & APG) and Freeman (9.3) are a good starting guard combo. However, Lecomte has been nursing a sprained ankle that he re-injured early in the second half of Saturday's loss at Iowa State and is questionable for Monday night's contest. The Bears look pretty average these days and they haven't defeated a ranked foe since beating then-No. 25 Kansas State back on Jan. 14.
The pick: The Mountaineers are nicknamed "Press Virginia" and Baylor knows all too well about West Va.'s relentless defensive pressure. The Bears committed 29 turnovers in losing 89-68 back on Jan. 10 in Morgantown and will have to do a much better job of protecting the ball here, to get a "W." Easier said than done, as West Virginia leads the nation in turnovers forced per game (21.55) and steals per game (11.0). West Va. is 10* play.
West Virginia: The 23-6 Mountaineers are 11-5 in league play, tied with Iowa State but still must play the Cyclones in their regular-season finale on Friday night, although it's in Morgantown. The Mountaineers enter this contest having won five of their last six games, with the lone loss coming in overtime at conference champ Kansas, a contest in which West Va. led by seven points with just one minute to play! 6-8 sophomore forward Esa Ahmad, the team's second leading scorer (11.7), has not traveled to Waco because of back spasms. Junior guard Jevon Carter leads the team in scoring (12.7), assists (4.1) and a Big 12-leading 2.8 steals per game. The 6-9 Adrian is the only other player in double digits (10.4) plus leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 per. However, a trio guards in Phillip (9.3), Miles (8.7) and Myers (6.3) are all solid contributors.
Baylor: The Bears (23-6 / 10-6) surprised early on with an outstanding start but have fallen back to earth very quickly. The 6-10 Motley (17.3 & 9.8) gets quality help up front from the 7-0 Lual-Acuil (9.3 & 6.8) and the 6-8 Maston (6.9 & 3.7) plus PG Lecomte (12.4 & APG) and Freeman (9.3) are a good starting guard combo. However, Lecomte has been nursing a sprained ankle that he re-injured early in the second half of Saturday's loss at Iowa State and is questionable for Monday night's contest. The Bears look pretty average these days and they haven't defeated a ranked foe since beating then-No. 25 Kansas State back on Jan. 14.
The pick: The Mountaineers are nicknamed "Press Virginia" and Baylor knows all too well about West Va.'s relentless defensive pressure. The Bears committed 29 turnovers in losing 89-68 back on Jan. 10 in Morgantown and will have to do a much better job of protecting the ball here, to get a "W." Easier said than done, as West Virginia leads the nation in turnovers forced per game (21.55) and steals per game (11.0). West Va. is 10* play.
