The Cincinnati Bearcats host the West Virginia Mountaineers at Fifth Third Arena tonight.
West Virginia picked up a narrow 62-60 victory at home in the first meeting between these two squads this season, and another low-scoring affair could be in order.
See why I’m playing the Under with my West Virginia vs. Cincinnati predictions and college basketball picks below.
West Virginia vs Cincinnati prediction
West Virginia vs Cincinnati best bet: Under 128.5 (-110)
The Cincinnati Bearcats appear to be treading water at 11-11, but Wes Miller’s squad has a chance to change the tone of the season with four consecutive games against teams residing outside the Top 40 of KenPom.
Stretches of winnable games are hard to find on a Big 12 schedule, and yet the Bearcats have one, and it begins tonight against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Everything is predicated on the defense for Cincinnati, which ranks eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency since January 1 (BartTorvik). They wall off the paint (29th in near-proximity field goal defense, per Haslametrics), which is crucial against a WVU offense that rarely draws fouls and can be pushed into the mid-range.
The Mountaineers play at the fifth-slowest tempo (361st) in the country and also aren’t efficient scorers (159th in adjusted offensive efficiency since January 1), which leads to plenty of sluggish games. WVU has played to the Under in nine of its last 10 games and now faces a Top-10 defense, making it difficult to break the trend.
Ross Hodge’s squad has the second-worst (364th) away from home metric (Haslametrics) and has put forth just 55.8 ppg on the road in Big 12 play, resulting in an 0-4 O/U mark.
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West Virginia vs Cincinnati same-game parlay
Although there likely won’t be a ton of scoring in this contest, Cincinnati big man Baba Miller should still get his.
He’s the team’s leading scorer (13.4 ppg) and is primed for a bounce-back game after a 2-point dud last time out against a salty Houston defense. If his frontcourt teammate, Moustapha Thiam, is out or limited after rolling his ankle in the last game, the onus will fall on Miller.
West Virginia vs Cincinnati SGP
- Under 128.5
- Cincinnati team total Under 67.5
- Baba Miller Over 13.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Baba, Have You Many Rebounds?
Miller has a massive 29.6% defensive rebounding rate, which will come in handy against a poor-shooting WVU offense. He’s recorded 11+ rebounds in seven of his last eight games at Fifth Third Arena, and his presence will be needed on both ends of the court.
West Virginia vs Cincinnati SGP
- Under 128.5
- Cincinnati team total Under 67.5
- Baba Miller Over 13.5 points
- Baba Miller Over 10.5 rebounds
West Virginia vs Cincinnati odds
- Spread: West Virginia +5.5 | Cincinnati -5.5
- Moneyline: West Virginia +200 | Cincinnati -240
- Over/Under: Over 128.5 | Under 128.5
West Virginia vs Cincinnati betting trend to know
West Virginia has cashed the Under in six straight games. Find more college basketball betting trends for West Virginia vs. Cincinnati.
How to watch West Virginia vs Cincinnati
| Location | Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH |
| Date | Thursday, February 5, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
West Virginia vs Cincinnati key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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