NCAAB Picks: West Virginia vs. Gonzaga
#11 West Virginia vs. #1 Gonzaga Predictions
Bet: Gonzaga -8 @ -106
West Virginia is a very good basketball team this year, but Gonzaga is on a different level from any other team in the country. They’re the #1 ranked team for a reason, and I think we’ll see them impose their will on WVU on Wednesday night.
West Virginia comes in at 3-0 and ranked 11th in the country, but I’m not putting much stock into wins over South Dakota State, VCU and Western Kentucky. Sophomore Miles McBride leads the way for the Mountaineers on offense, averaging 16.3 point and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Gonzaga already has a dominant win over a top-10 team, beating #6 Kansas, 102-90. Then they went on to dominate Auburn in game 2 of the year. This has obviously been said before, but this could be Mark Few’s year to finally get his National Championship. Drew Timme has looked unstoppable, as has Corey Kispert, giving the Zags the best pair of forwards in the country.
Gonzaga is the deeper, more talented and polished team and it should lead to a double-digit win tonight.
#5 Illinois vs. #2 Baylor Predictions
Bet: Baylor -4.5 @ -110
We’re laying the points with the #1 team in the country and we’re doing the same with the 2nd ranked team. Baylor has looked extremely good in their first two games, leading to lopsided wins, and more importantly covers, in both contests.
Jared Butler and MaCio Teague have been unbelievable for the Bears so far. Not only is Butler averaging 18.5 points per game on 58.3% shooting from deep, he also has a habit of getting in the way defensively. He averages 2.5 steals per game. Teague is averaging 18.0 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game, giving Baylor perhaps the best backcourt in the country.
Speaking of impressive backcourt play, Ayo Dosunmu has been one of the best guards around early on. But, he’s done it against two bad teams in NC A&T and Chicago State, before Illinois struggled to get a win over Ohio.
I love Dosunmu and think he can carry the Illini far in 2020, I just like the Baylor backcourt more. I think Butler, Teague and even Davion Mitchell will be able to wear Dosunmu down over the course of a game and get the win by at least five.