West Virginia vs Morgan St: Odds & Prediction

Team Previews: #2 West Virginia  --  #15 Morgan St

Vegas Odds: West Virginia -16.5 -- Bet at bodog

Why Morgan St will win: 

This is not your average MEAC team. Morgan played a brutal schedule this year and is no stranger to playing BCS teams on the road. They only lost by 9 at Louisville, beat Arkansas, and hung in against Baylor for awhile. With the way the Big East has struggled, you never know.

Bear to Watch:

Kevin Thompson, F - 13 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 apg

While Reggie Holmes is the big scorer, Thompson might quietly be the Bears best player. He's very consistent and has proven he can play with the big boys, putting up 16 & 13 against Louisville and 10 & 14 against Arkansas. He'll certainly need a double-double here.

Why West Virginia will win:

WVU hasn't lost to a to team ranked below 65th in the RPI all year (Morgan St is 102nd) and with the exception of a close game at Cleveland St, they've put away all the opponents they're supposed to put away. If for whatever reason the game is close, WVU has a trump card in Da'Sean Butler

Mountaineer to Watch:

Darryl Bryant, G - 10 ppg, 2 rpg, 3 apg

Da'Sean Butler is WVU's star, but Bryant's play will be crucial if WVU goes deep (and wins today). He's had a fine season but has been losing time and confidence recently. In his last 4 games, he's 2-22 from the floor (brutal) and Joe Mazzulla's been playing more. Bryant gives WVU an edge on offense when he's on and they'll need him to turn it around.

How it will go down:

Although WVU's offensive output has been kind of weak recently, they'll find things easier against Morgan St, and eventually pull away in the 2nd however. However, the Bears will remain pesky throughout and just sneak in under the spread.

Betting Pick: Morgan St

Real Pick: West Virginia