ESPN BPI Reveals West Virginia's Odds to Beat Clemson in the Charleston Classic

It's time to ramp up the level of competition for the West Virginia Mountaineers, who will face two quality opponents over the next three days in the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic, beginning tonight with the Clemson Tigers (4-1).

After playing five games inside Hope Coliseum, head coach Ross Hodge believes his team is ready for this challenge and to play in another venue. Can they get the job done?

What the ESPN BPI says

According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index (BPI), West Virginia has a 41.6% chance to remain perfect on the season, while Clemson has a 58.4% chance to hand the Mountaineers their first loss and advance to the championship game of the MTE.

Although I understand Clemson having the better "odds" to win, I figured this would be a whole heck of a lot closer to 50/50. It's a neutral court game, with both fan bases having a strong presence, and West Virginia's top-20 defense should give them an opportunity to win.

West Virginia's recent games

The Mountaineers took an early punch from Pitt in the Backyard Brawl and then went on a 31-4 run to take control of the game, beating their bitter rival convincingly. On Monday, WVU took care of business against Lafayette, although the Leopards hung around for the first 15 minutes or so. Lafayette knocked down 10 three-pointers on the night, but turned it over 19 times, leading to 20 points the other way.

Clemson's recent games

The Tigers have played just one game against a high major, which they lost, falling to Georgetown by a 79-74 score. They bounced back with a convincing 20-point win over North Alabama on Monday, moving them to 4-1 on the season. In their four wins against low majors, they are winning by an average of 33.75 points per game. The foul line crushed them against the Hoyas, who went 25/32.

West Virginia and Clemson will tip off the action at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.