West Virginia Mountaineers vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, 2/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: West Virginia Mountaineers vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN2

Fifth Third Arena is where the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-11) will attempt to defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers (14-8) on Thursday.

The West Virginia Mountaineers faced off with Baylor and went home with a loss by a final score of 63-53 in their last game. West Virginia walked away from the contest with a 36.0% FG percentage (18 out of 50) and made 5 of their 19 three-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Mountaineers knocked down 12 of their 18 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. With respect to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 28 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 10 dimes for this game while forcing 13 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Pertaining to the defense, West Virginia allowed the other team to shoot 45.5% from the floor on 25 out of 55 shooting. Baylor distributed 12 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. In addition, Baylor grabbed 30 rebounds (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. Baylor ended up shooting 80.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 4 of their 5 attempts. They also made 9 of 22 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Mountaineers finished with 12 and Baylor accounted for 13 fouls.

Brenen Lorient is one player who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up scoring 19 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 32 mins played and totaled 3 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 53.8% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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West Virginia comes into this game with a win-loss record of 14-8 for the year. They average 70.8 points per outing (309th in the country) while hitting 44.6% from the floor. The Mountaineers are connecting on 35.5% on 3-point shots (184 of 518) and 68.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, West Virginia is pulling down 35.3 rebounds per game and has totaled 291 dimes so far this season, which is 260th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 15.1 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Mountaineers are able to force 11.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.4 personal fouls. They are 131st in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 285 conceded on the season. The Mountaineers defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.3% (500 of 1,210) and they concede 32.4 boards per contest as a unit. They are giving up 34.6% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 7th in D-1 in points per game allowed (63.8).

For their last game, the Cincinnati Bearcats took a loss by a final score of 76-54 against Houston. The Bearcats earned 21 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 29 for the game. They coughed it up 16 times, while earning 2 steals in this contest. Houston was called for 16 fouls for the matchup which got the Bearcats to the free throw line for 13 tries. They were able to knock down 8 of them for a percentage of 61.5%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, Cincinnati converted 10 out of 23 attempts (43.5%). Overall, the Bearcats finished the game shooting 18 for 47 from the field which gave them a rate of 38.3%. The Bearcats allowed Houston to convert 26 of their 57 attempts from the field which had them at 45.6% in the game. They finished 34.6% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 9 of 26 and finished the game at 15 out of 18 from the charity stripe (83.3%). With respect to cleaning the glass, Cincinnati allowed Houston to snag 27 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

Jalen Celestine ended up being important for the Bearcats for the contest. He knocked down 5 out of 7 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 71.4%, and had 2 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 29 minutes of playing time, but finished this game without an assist.

Cincinnati has a mark of 11-11 for the year. The Bearcats are responsible for committing 16.5 fouls every game while shooting 66.0% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 16.5 times per game (56th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.5 times per game. Cincinnati has totaled 1,573 points on the season (71.5 per game) and they grab 37.6 boards per game. As an offense, the Bearcats are connecting on 41.9% from the floor, which is 329th in the country.

The Bearcats on the defensive end are ranked 38th in D-1 in points given up per game with 67.4. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (58th in the country). The Cincinnati defense surrenders 32.6% on 3-pointers (169 of 519) and their opponents are connecting on 70.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 13.4 dimes and 35.1 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 188th and 220th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cincinnati

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