The Cincinnati Bearcats take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown, West Virginia. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
West Virginia is favored by 3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -192. The total is set at 128.5 points.
Here are my Cincinnati vs. West Virginia predictions and college basketball picks for February 19, 2025.
Cincinnati vs West Virginia Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati +3.5 (Play to PK)
My Cincinnati vs West Virginia best bet is on the Bearcats spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Cincinnati vs West Virginia Odds
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -102 | 128.5 -110o / -110u | +160 |
| West Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -118 | 128.5 -110o / -110u | -192 |
- Cincinnati vs West Virginia spread: West Virginia -3.5
- Cincinnati vs West Virginia over/under: 128.5 points
- Cincinnati vs West Virginia moneyline: West Virginia -192, Cincinnati +160
- Cincinnati vs West Virginia best bet: Cincinnati +3.5 (Play to PK)
Spread
I'm backing the Bearcats to cover as road 'dogs.
Moneyline
I think Cincinnati wins outright.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: Cincinnati +3.5 (Play to PK)
Cincinnati vs West Virginia College Basketball Betting Preview
I like Cincinnati here.
The Bearcats have been playing so much better lately.
They barely covered against Iowa State on Saturday, but the officiating was a mess. Cincinnati ranks in the top 25 nationally in foul avoidance but got walloped in that game. Dillon Mitchell fouled out on some sketchy calls, and Jizzle James fouled out on another shaky call.
When the dust settled, Iowa State shot 30 free throws to Cincinnati’s 11. If things had gone differently, Cincinnati may have beaten the Cyclones in Ames, and we’d be having a different conversation this Wednesday.
The Bearcats' offense has improved mightily in recent weeks, especially with James re-finding his confidence. He’s been on fire since the last head-to-head matchup with West Virginia on Feb. 2, when he had one of the worst games of his career (zero points on 0-for-8 shooting in 18 minutes).
He’s scored 24, 24 and 25 in his past three games.
The rest of the team has followed suit. Josh Reed looks better lately, as does Day Day Thomas. The Bearcats just needed a confidence boost, and they’ve found it.
Meanwhile, West Virginia has been struggling, losing seven of the past 10 games. The Tucker DeVries injury is finally weighing on the Mountaineers, as the offense has nosedived lately.
Cincinnati has been the better team over the past month. The Bearcats' defense is also undervalued. They run a solid drop-coverage scheme but have been unlucky, with conference opponents shooting a whopping 39% from 3.
This should be a tight, low-scoring game in which points are at a premium, and I’ll happily take the points with the Bearcats.
But I think they win this game outright in Morgantown.
