West Virginia vs Oklahoma State Basketball Prediction & Picks: Mountaineers, Cowboys look to shake off Saturday setbacks

Both West Virginia and Oklahoma State endured a disappointing end to 2022, falling in Kansas on Saturday. Tonight, the two teams will try to open 2023 on a winning note as they meet in Stillwater.

The Big 12 matchup between the Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) and Cowboys (8-5, 0-1 Big 12) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater is set for a 7:00 pm ET (6:00 pm local time) tip-off, and it will be televised on ESPNU.

West Virginia entered Big 12 play with a four-game win streak, but the streak came to an end on Saturday with an 82-76 overtime loss at Kansas State. They led by 11 at halftime, but the Wildcats rallied to get the win in overtime.

Like the Mountaineers, Oklahoma State let a double-digit lead slip, as they were up by 15 at halftime at Kansas. The Cowboys did tie it up late with a three by Bryce Thompson, who started his collegiate career in Lawrence, but the reigning national champions promptly snatched the win in the waning moments.

Which team will avoid an 0-2 start in Big 12 play? Read on for our West Virginia vs Oklahoma State basketball prediction, as well as our picks for the matchup.

West Virginia vs Oklahoma State Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Monday, January 2, 2023, at 12:25 pm ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• West Virginia +2.5 (-110)
• Oklahoma State -2.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 140.5 (-110)
• Under 140.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• West Virginia +126
• Oklahoma State -152

Will West Virginia and Oklahoma State Light It Up from Outside?

At Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, more than half of the combined points in Oklahoma State’s 69-67 loss were scored on three-pointers.

The Cowboys were 13 of 29 (44.8%) from outside, with Thompson hitting 7 of 10 against his former team and John-Michael Wright tying a season high with four makes on nine attempts.

It was the second straight game with 13 made threes for Oklahoma State, who made 13 of 33 (39.4%) against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in an 81-58 win on December 20.

Along with tying their season high from the perimeter, the Cowboys allowed season highs in made threes and perimeter percentage, as Kansas made 11 of 23 (47.8%). Prior to Saturday’s game, no one had shot better than 36.0% from three against the Pokes.

That might be encouraging news for West Virginia, who is coming off of its worst three-point shooting performance of the season.

Entering the game, the Mountaineers were shooting 38.3% from three and had made 40% or better from three in seven games.

But against Kansas State, West Virginia made a season-low four threes (in 18 attempts) and shot a season-low 22.2%.

It was the fifth time this season that the Mountaineers shot 30% or worse from outside. Here are their shooting percentages in the following game in the first four instances:

• shot 30.0% (6 of 20) vs Mount St. Mary’s: 38.1% (8 of 21) at Pitt
• shot 23.5% (4 of 17) vs Morehead State: 52.2% (12 of 23) vs Penn
• shot 22.7% (5 of 22) vs Purdue: 43.8% (7 of 16) vs Portland State
• shot 26.3% (5 of 19) vs UAB: 42.1% (8 of 19) vs Buffalo

The Mountaineers have three players shooting 40% or better from three this season, led by South Carolina transfer Erik Stevenson, a 45% shooter.

Stevenson, the team’s leading scorer (13.9 PPG), had a season-low seven points against Kansas State, making just 3 of 10 shots from the field and missing both of his three-point attempts.

The previous two times this season that Stevenson failed to reach double digits, he scored 21 against Penn (4 of 4 from three) and a season-high 22 against Buffalo (a season-high five threes on eight attempts).

West Virginia vs Oklahoma State Prediction and Picks

West Virginia vs Oklahoma State Prediction: Oklahoma State to win

West Virginia vs Oklahoma State Picks: Oklahoma State to cover (Best Value: -2.5 @ BetOnline) West Virginia/Oklahoma State over (Best Value: over 139.5 @ BetMGM)

I think the Mountaineers will shoot better tonight than they did at Kansas State, but I’m also backing the home team to take the win.

That goes against recent history, as the road team has won nine of the previous 13 on-campus matchups between these two teams.

But home teams went 5-1 in Saturday’s Big 12 games, with Texas’s one-point win at Oklahoma the only road win. I expect home advantage to prove valuable tonight as well.