West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Betting Pick

The undervalued West Virginia Mountaineers hit the road on Sunday after an eight-day break to take on one of the best teams in the nation in Ohio State, though it will be at a neutral site in Cleveland.
Bob Huggins’ team is 10-1 on the season, with the only loss coming at the hands of better-than-expected St. Johns up in Queens on Dec. 7. West Virginia has been led by its stout frontcourt consisting of freshman behemoth Oscar Tshiebwe and sophomore Derek Culver.
Both big men are averaging north of 11 points and nine rebounds per game. Wings Emmitt Matthews Jr. and reserve Sean McNeil have been quality weapons from deep as well.
Ohio State comes into the game having won two in a row since losing to Minnesota. The Buckeyes seem to be back on track after defeating Kentucky in Las Vegas 71-65 last weekend before heading out for Christmas break.
Chris Holtmann’s group is led in scoring and rebounding (13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds) by big man Kaleb Wesson, but the key player for the Buckeyes this season has been guard Duane Washington Jr. The sophomore is shooting 50 percent from three after a freshman season that saw him shoot 30.6 percent.
Ohio State goes 10 players deep, and its overall depth is possibly the most talented in the country. The Buckeyes currently have 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
The Buckeyes come into the game as the No. 5 team in the nation in Kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency metric as well as the sixth-best team in the adjusted offensive efficiency metric, making them the only team in the rankings to do so.
Ohio State is an eight-point favorite, with the over/under set at 137.
Huggins Wants Another Quality Non-Conference Win
West Virginia is currently one of the most undervalued teams in the nation in terms of media and casual fan publicity. The Mountaineers already have good wins over Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Northern Iowa and Wichita State.
They have not been great against the spread at 5-6 while being 0-3 on the over/under in true road games on the season.
Buckeyes Look For Third Straight
Say what you want about the Buckeyes, they don’t lose at home under Holtmann very often. Ohio State is 36-8 straight up in his two-plus seasons in Columbus and 9-0 this season.
This game is not a home game, but Cleveland is in the Buckeyes’ home state, two hours from the Columbus campus (and three hours from Morgantown). The Buckeyes are 10-2 against the spread this season and have gone under in seven of their 12 games.
Pick and Prediction
West Virginia is undervalued by the public, but Ohio State is arguably the best team in the nation. Both teams are defensive stalwarts, so expect a grind-it-out-type game, with the most efficient team coming out on top.
The Buckeyes are more well-rounded, but this game is going to be slow enough for a good rebounding, good shooting West Virginia team to stay in it. Take the Buckeyes to win straight up but the Mountaineers to cover and the under.