NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Arena: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
Line: Virginia (-3.5)
The No. 14 West Virginia Mountaineers have entered the 2015-16 season undefeated, but they face their toughest task yet on Tuesday night against the No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers in the Jimmy V Classic.
Virginia has shaken off their early-season road loss to the George Washington Colonials by reeling off seven straight wins. The Mountaineers will be the most talented team the Cavaliers have played since the loss, but UVA should be extremely confident coming into this one. Malcolm Brogdon has been a revelation in terms of picking up the offensive slack due to Justin Anderson departing for the NBA, and he complements this elite defense perfectly.
West Virginia, on the other hand, rank No. 10 in the nation in terms of points per game with 88.4. The Mountaineers have scored at least 85 points in five of their seven games, including two games where they went for over 100. Devin Williams averages a 18.7 point, 10.7 rebound double-double on the season, but it’s players like Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. who make the biggest impact for this team. The depth and youth of this team is staggering, and we should expect them to be a dark horse national title contender as early as next season.
That being said, Tony Bennett and Virginia retain their place as one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing just 57.2 points per game. West Virginia boasts an underrated defense in addition to their high-flying offense, but their offense will not be enough to overcome the elite defense of the Cavaliers. Expect this to be a low-scoring, defense-first game in which the team that gets to 60 first wins.
Prediction: Virginia 68, West Virginia 62
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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