West Virginia visits TCU, Still Searching for First Road Win
West Virginia vs TCU Odds: Horned Frogs Holding Firm at -12.5
The West Virginia Mountaineers are reeling, and it sure doesn’t seem as though their fortunes will change anytime soon. But conference play is often unpredictable in college basketball, and there’s always an upset or two just around the corner.
That’s what makes Monday’s (8 p.m. ET) game between the Mountaineers and TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena compelling.
TCU opened as a 12-point favorite and is up a smidge to -12.5 on the spread. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs are -900 on the moneyline, with the Mountaineers priced +600 to win outright. The projected total is 149 with a slight edge to the Over at -112 odds.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down the West Virginia vs TCU odds ahead of this Big 12 Conference matchup.
Mountaineers vs Horned Frogs 
Day/Time:
Location: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena; Fort Worth, Texas
Streaming: Big 12 Network; ESPN+
West Virginia vs TCU Betting Trends
The West Virginia Mountaineers are 9-13-1 ATS, including 0-4-1 away from home. They’ve gone Over the total in eight of their 14 NCAAB games. Meanwhile, the TCU Horned Frogs are 13-10 ATS, including 7-5 at home. As for the Over/Under, their record is 12-11.
Be sure to remember these trends when analyzing the West Virginia vs TCU odds.
Mountaineers Reeling
West Virginia (8-15) has lost two straight and four of its last five games to plummet down the Big 12 Conference standings. The Mountaineers’ 3-7 conference record is second-worst to only Oklahoma State (2-9).
The Mountaineers are coming off a dismal 94-58 loss to Texas on Saturday. A 15-point underdog, they allowed 15 3-pointers and trailed by as many as 43.
With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Mountaineers’ hopes of playing in the postseason are incredibly bleak. Their only path to March Madness is running the table in the Big 12 Tournament, which obviously seems very unlikely.
West Virginia ranks No. 140 in KenPom and is 182nd in adjusted offensive efficiency and 123rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. It owns wins over Texas and No. 4 Kansas but has also lost to the likes of Monmouth and Radford. Its 0-9 record in road and neutral-site games on the NCAA basketball schedule is glaring.
The Mountaineers are averaging just 68 points per game, ranking last in the Big 12 and 313th nationally. Montana State transfer RaeQuan Battle (15.2) is the team’s leading scorer, followed by Syracuse transfer Jesse Edwards (15.0) and Iona transfer Quinn Slazinski (13.0).
As an underdog, West Virginia is 3-12 OU and 5-10 ATS. It’s covered just once in five tries when the spread is 10 points or greater. As for the Over/Under, the Mountaineers have gone Over the total in back-to-back games and eight of their last 12. Keep that in mind when assessing the West Virginia vs TCU odds.
TCU Staying Afloat in Postseason Hunt
TCU has dropped two straight and four of its last seven games but remains in the mix for an NCAA Tournament berth. In fact, Joe Lunardi had the Horned Frogs as one of his last at-large teams to make the field of 68 in his latest bracketology for ESPN.
That said, the Horned Frogs (16-7, 5-5 Big 12) are still a longshot to do any damage in the postseason as far as the oddsmakers are concerned. The latest odds list them as +2200 to make the Final Four and +9000 to win the national championship. Twenty-eight NCAAB teams currently have better title odds.
TCU ranks No. 36 in KenPom and is top 60 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. The Horned Frogs — who climbed as high as No. 19 in the NCAA basketball rankings— own several quality wins, including ranked victories over No. 5 Houston, No. 13 Baylor and No. 23 Texas Tech. They’re also a solid 4-3 in true road games.
The Horned Frogs are 26th in the country in scoring, averaging 81.8 points. A majority of their scoring tends to come in the mid-range or near the basket, as they attempt only 18.2 3-pointers per game. Forward Emanuel Miller is the Horned Frogs’ top scorer (16.5), while Micah Peavy (11.1) and Delaware transfer Jameer Nelson Jr. (10.7) are also averaging double figures.
TCU has covered the spread in 10 of its last 15 games and is 13-10 ATS on the season. When favored, TCU is 14-4 OU and 10-8 ATS, including 5-4 when the spread is 10 points or greater. It’s also 12-11 against the Over/Under, including 6-6 at home.
Handicapping the Game
TCU is a solid 10-2 at home, including 3-2 in Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs don’t really have any bad losses, which helps explain why they remain firmly in the NCAA Tournament field despite their recent struggles.
West Virginia, meanwhile, has already dropped a few winnable games, and what’s most troubling is that the Mountaineers haven’t really shown any signs of turning things around. In their five road games, they’ve been outscored by an average of 19.8 points. Four of those have been decided by double digits.
It’s no wonder the Horned Frogs are heavy favorites.
For NCAAB picks, NCAA basketball betting lines and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
