Oklahoma vs West Virginia Picks and Predictions: Mountaineers Edge Out Sooners in Much-Needed Win

Oklahoma and West Virginia, both in the midst of losing streaks, are going head-to-head Wednesday night at the WVU Coliseum. 

Prior to tonight, both teams have gone through a gauntlet of Big 12 opponents. OU's last four games have come against No. 21 Texas, TCU, No. 7 Kansas, and No. 5 Baylor while WVU is coming off games against Kansas, Baylor, and No. 18 Texas Tech. Far from a forgivable schedule.

Tonight, both teams have a chance to get back on track. Find out who has the edge in our college basketball betting picks and predictions for Oklahoma vs. West Virginia. 

Oklahoma vs West Virginia odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

West Virginia hit the board as a slim 2-point favorite at home against the visiting Sooners and has hung around that number with -1.5s available at some shops. The total opened at 131 but has dropped down to 130 or 129.5. depending on the book.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Oklahoma vs West Virginia predictions

• Prediction: West Virginia -1.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 130 (-110)
• Best bet: West Virginia -1.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 1/26/2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Oklahoma vs West Virginia game info

• Location: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
• Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2

Oklahoma at West Virginia betting preview

Injuries

Oklahoma: C.J. Noland G (Questionable), Ethan Chargois F (Out).
West Virginia: No injuries to report.

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Over is 6-1 in West Virginia's last seven games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Oklahoma vs. West Virginia.

Oklahoma vs West Virginia picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Following an impressive win over Iowa State on January 8, the now 12-7 Oklahoma Sooners have lost four straight, three of which came against the cream of the Big 12 crop: Baylor, Kansas, and Texas.

While their 23rd-ranked defense has mostly held up over that stretch, allowing only 65 points to Baylor and 67 to Kansas, the offense has been limited to under 57 points per game.

On the season, the Sooners rank a formidable 65th in adjusted offensive efficiency and rank 34th overall when you account for their Top-25 defense mentioned above. 

The 13-5 Mountaineers are also strong defensively, ranking 27th, but rank just inside the Top 100 offensively and really struggle shooting the ball — ranking outside the Top 200 in points per game, effective field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and 3-point percentage. 

With that said, there may be an area that could give West Virginia a huge edge in this game — turnovers. Oklahoma averages 15.1 turnovers per game (329th in the nation) and has a 19.9% turnovers per play mark which ranks 346th of 358 eligible teams.

Look no further than OU's 14-point loss to Baylor on Saturday. They actually competed really well and shot better from the field overall than the Bears (45%), but the Sooners coughed the ball up a whopping 25 times, leading to 35 additional Baylor points. 

This could be a huge problem for the visiting Sooners again tonight. Not only are the Mountaineers a Top-30 defense overall, but they rank 18th in the country in forcing turnovers (16.4 per game).

On top of that, playing back at home will give them a huge advantage. They're 10-1 SU at home this season and are welcoming a Sooners team that only has one true road victory this season (UCF).

I'm leaning on the Mountaineers to play well defensively, win the turnover battle, and do just enough offensively otherwise to secure the win at home.

Prediction: West Virginia -1.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The total in this game opened at 131 but has dropped to 130 or 129.5 in most places, and for good reason.

As mentioned above, both of these teams rank inside the Top 30 in adjusted defensive efficiency and are both struggling on the other side of the ball as well.

During OU's four-game losing streak, it has eclipsed the 60-point mark just once, with the Under going 4-0 in those games, staying clear of the total by an average of 15 points. Of those four games, three would have stayed Under tonight's low total of 130, with the fourth game only getting to 131.

While Oklahoma is one of the most efficient 2-point shooting teams in the country (fourth in the nation), its shot totals can often be limited due to its high-turnover totals.

On top of that, neither of these teams lights it up from beyond the arc, ranking outside of the Top 175 in made threes per game, attempted threes per game, and 3-point percentage. 

Both teams should be relying on their defenses tonight, and I expect them to keep each other in the low 60s as a result, ultimately staying just Under the total. 

Prediction: Under 130 (-110)

Best bet

West Virginia -1.5 will be your best option tonight. It's going to be much tougher for the Sooners to end their losing streak in a tough road environment than it will be for the Mountaineers to do so at home.

West Virginia's only home loss came in a well-contested battle against Baylor, one of the best teams in the nation. Otherwise, they're undefeated — and I don't expect that to change tonight.

Back the Mountaineers to prevail in a near must-win game on the backs of their defense and energetic home crowd.

Pick: West Virginia -1.5 (-110)

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