What the ESPN BPI Says About WVU's Chances Against Iowa State

It's been a long time since WVU has won a basketball game. In fact, it's been 28 days to be exact. During that stretch, the Mountaineers had a blowout loss to Kansas but outside of that, they've been in pretty much every game. They had were in a position to beat Baylor both times until things collapsed late in the second half and had a chance to beat Texas Tech earlier in the week. 

The big question for WVU is that status of Taz Sherman who has spent the last week in concussion protocol. Sherman is not only West Virginia's leading scorer but he is second in the Big 12 averaging 18.9 points per game, trailing only Ochai Agbaji of Kansas.

Even with Sherman listed as questionable for tonight's game against Iowa State, the ESPN BPI gives the Mountaineers a 72.6% to win the game. This seems a little high in my opinion, especially when the only consistent shot-maker is not guaranteed to play.  That said, Iowa State is very similar to WVU. They don't make shots (31%) from three, struggle to rebound the ball (33 rpg), and turn the ball over at an alarming rate (14 per game). This is a great opportunity for West Virginia to get back in the win column and pick up a win over a ranked opponent which is something they desperately need to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume. 

Tip-off between the Mountaineers and Cyclones is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on ESPN+.