The Georgetown Hoyas face off against West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big 12-Big East battle on Friday night.
The Hoyas have looked significantly improved in Ed Cooley's second year leading the program but my Georgetown vs. West Virginia predictions expect them to struggle in their first road test.
Here are my college basketball picks for this December 6 showdown.
Georgetown vs West Virginia prediction
My best bet
West Virginia -8.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Georgetown Hoyas went through an ugly 9-23 campaign last season, but after upgrading the talent on the roster, they're off to a 7-1 start. That said, they've benefitted from an easy slate with their previous strength of schedule ranked just 355th in the country per ESPN.
They've faced just one team in the Top 200 of the KenPom ratings (No. 84 Notre Dame), and lost that contest by 21 points at home. Now Georgetown leaves home for the first time this season to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers, who just ran through a gauntlet.
WVU has faced the 18th toughest schedule in the country and played some terrific ball in last week's Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. It beat Gonzaga as 15.5-point underdogs in the first game and lost in overtime to Louisville in the semis before upsetting Arizona as 6.5-point pups in the third-place game.
All three of those contests went into overtime, and the fact the Mountaineers were able to play so many minutes on consecutive nights while beating ranked teams bodes well for this squad in March.
New head coach Darian DeVries has quickly developed chemistry with a completely overhauled roster he built through the transfer portal. He's gotten big contributions from point guard Javon Small (19.0 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.6 spg), big man Amani Hansberry (12.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg), and his son and two-time MVC Player of the Year Tucker DeVries (14.9 ppg on 40/47/82 shooting).
The Mountaineers are 32nd in the country in opponent EFG% (44.5%), which is particularly impressive since they've played three teams that rank in the Top 25 in adjusted offense. They'll be able to stifle Georgetown's attack while Small, DeVries, and Hansberry get the buckets needed to pull away.
Georgetown vs West Virginia same-game parlay
West Virginia -8.5
Thomas Sorber Over 1.5 assists
Under 144.5
Add Georgetown center Thomas Sorber to the list of freshmen around the country making an immediate impact. The four-star recruit leads the Hoyas in points (15.8), rebounds (8.9), and blocks (1.8) per game and is also a skilled passer.
Sorber didn't have a single assist in his last game, but that was because he was busy filling up the hoop with 23 points against an extremely small UMBC frontcourt. Before that, he had dropped at least a pair of dimes in five straight contests, averaging 4.2 assists per game during that span.
I mentioned why I like WVU to shut down Georgetown but the Hoyas can also slow down the Mountaineers' offense. The Hoyas rank seventh in the country in opponent turnover rate thanks to the ball pressure of Micah Peavy and Jayden Epps, who combine for 5.9 steals per game.
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Georgetown vs West Virginia odds
Georgetown vs West Virginia live odds
Georgetown vs West Virginia opening odds
- Spread: Georgetown +8 | West Virginia -8
- Moneyline: Georgetown +325 | West Virginia -425
- Over/Under: Over 143.5 | Under 143.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Georgetown vs West Virginia betting trend to know
The Mountaineers have covered the first-half spread in 13 of their last 19 games at home (+6.20 Units / 29% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Georgetown vs. West Virginia.
How to watch Georgetown vs West Virginia
| Location: | WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV |
| Date: | Friday, 12-6-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
Georgetown vs West Virginia key injuries
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