Ohio State an 8-Point Favorite vs West Virginia For Final Non-Conference Test in Cleveland

• No. 2 Ohio State closes non-conference play against No. 22 West Virginia
• The Buckeyes’ lone loss came on the road vs. Minnesota
• The Mountaineers’ lone loss came on the road vs. St. John’s – Check our preview below for odds and a prediction

After an eight-day holiday break, No. 2 Ohio State (11-1) and No. 22 West Virginia (10-1) are back in action on Sunday, wrapping up non-conference play in Cleveland. It’ll be the final game of 2019 for both schools, too, with a chance to enter the new year on a high note.

The Buckeyes have received a lot of buzz with their hot start and are considered by some to be the best team in the country right now. They are currently receiving the second shortest 2020 NCAA tournament odds, behind No. 3 Louisville.

Here’s how the West Virginia vs. Ohio State odds look for Sunday’s matchup:

Odds taken Dec. 28

All Things Neutral

The “neutral” site game in Cleveland might seem to favor the in-state Buckeyes, but in truth Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is reasonably close to both schools. Ohio State’s Columbus campus is just over two hours away, while West Virginia’s Morgantown campus is just over three hours away.

The Buckeyes took care of business in their only neutral-site game, which was also their most recent game — beating a quality Kentucky squad by six points last Saturday in Las Vegas.

DJ to KY 🚀@DJCarton @Kyle_Young25 #Team121 pic.twitter.com/kYcltMX73k

— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) December 22, 2019

The Mountaineers are also unbeaten in neutral games, defeating Northern Iowa and Wichita State in consecutive days last month in Mexico.

🎥 Highlights from tonight's 75-63 victory over Wichita State to win the 2019 Cancun Challenge!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/XS4aVM5Y1g

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) November 28, 2019

Nothing But Blowouts

Rooting for Ohio State has resulted in very little faintness of heart this year, as the Buckeyes have often built hefty leads and gone on to steamroll their opponents.

An astounding nine of their 12 games have resulted in wins by 19 or more points. Sure, there are some soft opponents in there (such as 5-9 Stetson, 5-8 Morgan State and 3-9 Southeast Missouri State), but the Buckeyes have also trounced three top-40 KenPom teams in North Carolina, Penn State and Villanova.

😯#GoBucks #Team121 pic.twitter.com/7zNPgW4YuY

— Ohio State Hoops 🌰 (@OhioStateHoops) December 7, 2019

Defeating good teams is one thing. Destroying them is quite another.

There are No Second Chances…Or Are There?

Having a never say die attitude is always a good thing for an underdog — and that’s something West Virginia brings to this matchup with its ability to create second chances offensively.

The Mountaineers rank fifth in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (14.9), which essentially means they create 15 extra attempts to score each game. That has been critical, considering they are a middling offensive team otherwise (with a 48.4% effective field goal percentage, which ranks 205th nationally).

Ohio State, with so many blowout wins, has been an against-the-spread stud, posting a 10-2 record.

West Virginia hasn’t been nearly as steady, with a 5-6 ATS record that includes ATS losses in three of its past five games. The Mountaineers haven’t been an underdog yet, though.

Win No. 9️⃣!!#HailWV pic.twitter.com/9PFikxLXRQ

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) December 16, 2019

Decision Time

West Virginia is an enticing play in its first matchup as an underdog, but they haven’t faced anyone nearly as potent as Ohio State (the Mountaineers’ best opponent, per KenPom, was No. 32 Wichita State).

The Buckeyes have blown the doors off of nearly everybody and now is not the time to second-guess a dominant, talented team.

Pick: Ohio State -8 (-110)