Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Baylor Bears vs West Virginia Mountaineers

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPN2

WVU Coliseum is where the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-7) will compete against the Baylor Bears (11-9) on Saturday.

The Baylor Bears faced Cincinnati and took a loss by a score of 67-57 in their last contest. Baylor walked away from the game with a 35.4% field goal percentage (23 of 65) and made 6 of 26 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Bears made 5 of 9 shots for a percentage of 55.6%. In terms of rebounding, they earned 38 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 13 dimes in this matchup as well as creating 8 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With regard to defense, Baylor let their opponent shoot 38.7% from the floor on 24 of 62 shooting. Cincinnati earned 15 assists and had 7 steals for the game. Moreover, Cincinnati snagged 36 rebounds (6 offensive, 30 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Cincinnati finished shooting 78.6% from the free throw line by making 11 of their 14 attempts. They made 8 of 29 attempts from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Bears ended up finishing with 16 and Cincinnati accumulated 15 fouls.

Tounde Yessoufou is a guy who played a role in the matchup. He finished the game shooting 42.9% from the floor and recorded 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 36 minutes played and also pulled down 7 boards. He scored 16 points on 6 out of 14 shooting.

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Baylor comes into this game with a mark of 11-9 so far this year. They currently have an average of 85.1 pts per contest (35th in college hoops) while going 48.2% from the field. The Bears are shooting 35.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (169 of 476) and 71.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Baylor is pulling down 39.6 rebounds per game and has accumulated 328 dimes on the year, which is 97th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.2 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Bears are forcing their opponents into 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 19.5 personal fouls. They rank 127th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 266 surrendered this season. The Bears defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 43.5% (555 of 1,277) and they surrender 33.1 boards per game as a team. They concede 34.7% from 3-point land and they rank 256th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.5).

For their last game, the West Virginia Mountaineers walked away with a victory by a final of 59-54 when they played Kansas State. In regard to how they rebounded, West Virginia allowed Kansas State to grab 28 overall (6 offensive). They shot 32.0% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 8 out of 25 and finished the game at 4 out of 4 from the free throw line (100.0%). The Mountaineers permitted Kansas State to convert 21 out of their 56 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 37.5% for the game. When the game finished, the Mountaineers finished the game shooting 23 out of 55 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.8%. When talking about shots from downtown, West Virginia converted 7 out of their 24 tries (29.2%). They were able to make 6 of the free throws for a percentage of 66.7%. Kansas State had 14 personal fouls in this contest which got the Mountaineers to the free throw line for 9 tries. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 6 steals for the contest. The Mountaineers pulled down 26 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 for the matchup.

Honor Huff ended up having an impact for the Mountaineers for this game. He racked up 17 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 5 assists in this matchup. He converted 5 out of 15 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and added 8 rebounds.

West Virginia has a win-loss record of 14-7 this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mountaineers are connecting on 44.9% from the field, which is ranked 209th in the nation. West Virginia has accumulated 1,504 points on the season (71.6 per contest) and they pull in 35.4 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per contest (240th in college) and they are turning it over 11.1 times per contest. The Mountaineers have committed 15.2 fouls every game and they hit 68.6% from the free throw line.

The Mountaineers on defense are ranked 8th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 63.8. They are forcing 11.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.1% from the floor (55th in the nation). The West Virginia defense gives up 34.3% on shots from beyond the arc (155 of 452) and their opposition knocks down 72.5% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 13.0 dimes and 32.3 boards per contest, which ranks them 155th and 68th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take West Virginia

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