Bucknell Vs West Virginia Spread, Pick & TV Info

The 13th-seeded Bucknell Bison will look to pull off the huge upset over the fourth-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers when the two national championship hopefuls throw down in the opening round of the West Region on Thursday. Now let’s find out if the Mountaineers can avoid the upset to get the win and ATS cover as double-digit favorites. Find the latest NCAA point spreads here.

Analyzing The Bison Vs Mountaineers Spread, Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 2:45 PM ET Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York TV: CBS Live Stream: CBS Sports Network NCAAB Odds: TBA Bucknell will be a 14-point underdog when they take on West Virginia on Thursday, March 16, at 2:45 PM ET, live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York with this matchup airing live on CBS.    

Why Bet The Bucknell Bison Odds at +14

The 13th-seeded Bison (-1 ATS) are returning to the tournament for the first time since 2013 after winning the Patriot League regular season and tournament titles. The Bison rolled all over Lehigh in their 81-65 conference championship win on March 8 as a 4-point favorite. The Bison also won first-round games in 2005 and 2006, the first of which came as a 14-seed against Kansas. Bucknell averages 76.1 points per game (109th) on a fantastic 48.1 percent shooting mark from the field (26th) and 37.7 percent from downtown (59th). Defensively, the Bison have been rock-solid in limiting the opposition to just 67.4 points per game (61st). Bucknell also has four double-digit scorers on their roster including leading scorer Zach Thomas (16.0 ppg).

Why Bet West Virginia Mountaineers Odds at -14

West Virginia (13-15-1 ATS) had its three-game winning streak snapped in their 80-74, Big 12 conference tournament championship game loss to Iowa State on Saturday. The Mountaineers were the No. 3 seed when they fell by 14 points to Stephen F. Austin last year. This time around, West Virginia averages a stellar 82.0 points per game to rank 21st in scoring while simultaneously limiting their opponents to just 66.3 points per game defensively to rank 45th nationally in points allowed. Paced by junior guard Jevon Carter, the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and the team’s leader in scoring (13.1) and assists (3.9), West Virginia opened 12-1 and was ranked as high as eighth in the country at one point. Despite their high-scoring ways, West Virginia has just two double-digit scorers in guard Jevon Carter (13.1 ppg) and forward Esa Ahmad (11.2 ppg), although five other players average at least 6.1 points per game.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I don’t know why 45 percent of the betting public likes Bucknell to cover the spread, but I don’t. I’m going to advise you to back West Virginia to win and cover the spread seeing as how the Mountaineers will have more than enough motivation to avoid another first round loss while getting the bad taste out of their mouths from their championship game loss to Iowa State. Bucknell’s 86-60 loss to Butler in November serves as a good model for what will happen in this contest.

My final score prediction is West Virginia 82 Bucknell 67