West Virginia vs. Arizona Odds
| West Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 129.5 -110o / -110u | +230 |
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 129.5 -110o / -110u | -275 |
The Women’s NCAA Tournament gets underway Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET and there are 16 matchups on the day’s slate. The women’s tournament offers neutral site games at various locations for teams seeded five through 12, which means we can find some great value.
Action has partnered with Her Hoop Stats for coverage of the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament — check the Action app for Dano Mataya's best gameday bets between the opening round and national championship!
West Virginia Mountaineers
Dawn Plitzuweit, the Mountaineers’ head coach, is in a familiar position, despite this being her first season at West Virginia. As head coach of the South Dakota Coyotes from 2016-2022, Plitzuweit had her best finish last season when the Coyotes reached the Sweet 16 and covered in all three tournament games.
That run started with the 10th-seeded South Dakota Coyotes earning a 14-point win as four-point underdogs against No. 7 Ole Miss. This West Virginia squad made the tournament with an at-large bid and ended the season covering six of their final seven games as underdogs, including four outright wins.
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats have clinched an NCAA Tournament berth for the third straight season. Arizona, under seventh-year head coach Adia Barnes, received an at-large bid, but won’t be hosting any opening-round games.
The 2022 Wildcats failed to cover in either of their two home NCAA Tournament games. This year’s Arizona team went 1-1 ATS against Big-12 opponents and ended the season on a three-game losing streak, despite being favored in all three.
West Virginia vs. Arizona Betting Pick
There are multiple external factors at play in this matchup. The first is the location — College Park, Maryland. West Virginia’s 208-mile commute is nothing compared to Arizona’s cross-country trip. In fact, this will be Arizona’s first trip east of Dallas this season. And with a 12:00 p.m. ET tip, the Wildcats playing on a 9:00 a.m. body clock.
Both teams rank in the top 50 of turnovers forced per game and rebound at a solid rate to keep each other off the offensive glass. West Virginia ranks 27th in the country in opponent 3-point % (27.5%) and 36th in opponent points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, Arizona has the size to force West Virginia into long possessions and shots outside of the paint.
I’m trusting some early game struggles, jitters and strong defensive schemes. The HerHoopStats Model predicts an eight-point win for the Wildcats and a total of 130, but I feel the external factors will give an edge to the Mountaineers. I lean toward West Virginia getting 7.5 points, but would take Under 129.5 and play it down to 128.5.
