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West Virginia - Baylor Basketball Preview & How To Watch: Zone Busters

After a few days removed from a demoralizing loss in Norman, the West Virginia Mountaineers return home to Morgantown to host the Baylor Bears on Saturday at noon on ESPNU.

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Game Day Vitals

  • #15 West Virginia Mountaineers (18-4, Big XII 6-3, NCAA RPI 23) vs. #19 Baylor Bears (17-5, Big XII 5-4, NCAA RPI 13)
  • Series Record :1-4, last matchup was a beatdown in Morgantown L 88-75
  • Location: Lyons Den (Capacity: 14,000) Morgantown, West Virginia
  • Vegas Lines: (-4) for the good guys, O/U: 136.0
  • Date: Saturday, Feb 7, 2015, 12:00 PM EST
  • Television: ESPNU / WatchESPN
  • Radio Affiliates

Opponent Information

wvubaylor1

The Interwebs

The gif options from the podcast article were just too good to not use again.

Game Preview

West Virginia's trip to Norman went the exact opposite from Oklahoma's trip to Morgantown, but the absence of Devin Williams cannot be ignored. The good news is that this Mountaineer squad has proved to have a short memory and they will need to prove it again facing a Baylor Bears side that could be WVU's worst matchup in the Big 12.

Scott Drew's 2-3 zone is fierce. Rico Gathers, Royce O'Neale, and Johnathan Motley all do very well in moving together and reacting quickly to ball movement. With three athletic big men, and one coming off the bench in Taurean Prince, the Bears will most likely stay in their coveted 2-3 the entire game. West Virginia has been less than effective against the zone and this will prove as a major test. If the Mountaineers can shoot well and stretch the zone for Devin Williams to get inside and get paint buckets, this will go well. If the shooting woes continue, this one could go either way.

Prediction: WVU 74, Baylor 76