Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes VS West Virginia Mountaineers 2025-11-26
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: A Tale of Two Three-Pointers
By Your Humorously Analytical Sports Oracle
Parsing the Odds: When Math Meets Mayhem
Letâs start with the numbers, because even if you hate math, these numbers are entertaining. Ohio State is a -3.5-point favorite, with a total set at 141.5 points. Converting DraftKingsâ moneyline odds (Ohio State at +230, West Virginia at -165), the implied probabilities suggest bookmakers see West Virginia as a 62.5% favorite to win outright. Waitâwhat? How can the underdog (Ohio State) have higher implied odds? Ah, the cruel poetry of sports betting: itâs like ordering a salad and getting a side of confusion.
But letâs not let the math fool us. Ohio Stateâs recent performance against Mount St. Maryâs was a clinic in dominanceâ113 points, five players in double figures, and a 64% field goal rate. Theyâre the Golden State Warriors of the Big Ten⊠if the Warriors suddenly became a college team and hired a circus acrobat as their center. West Virginia, meanwhile, is 1-5 but has a rĂ©sumĂ© that reads like a âDid You Know?â segment: They led Cincinnati by six at halftime and forced Maryland into overtime. Impressive? Sure. A fluke? Also sure. But hey, at least theyâre not a team that âtripped over their own shoelacesâ (see: Mount St. Maryâs).
Digesting the News: A Feast of Frustration
Ohio Stateâs strength? Depth. John Mobley Jr. is scoring like heâs auditioning for MVP, but the real star is the âfifth starterâ crewâColin White, Gabe Cupps, and Mathieu Grujicic. Coach Jake Dieblerâs plan to âinvolve the bench earlyâ sounds less like strategy and more like a dad trying to keep his kids from fighting over who gets to play with the toy. With five players scoring in double figures against Mount St. Maryâs, the Buckeyes are like a five-course meal: You canât finish it, but youâll pretend you can out of pride.
West Virginia, though, is a paradox. They shoot threes like theyâre trying to break the internet (and sometimes succeed), but their turnover issues are the sports equivalent of a toddler in a candy storeâchaotic, inevitable, and occasionally sticky. Last seasonâs 16-seed NCAA Tournament run (beating American, no less!) is a fun fact, but this yearâs team feels like the hangover the next day. Theyâre the basketball version of a slot machine: Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they leave you with nothing but hope and a sore wallet.
Humorous Spin: The Absurdity of Hoops
Imagine West Virginiaâs three-point strategy as a dating profile: âIâm spontaneous, a bit of a risk-taker, and my friends say Iâm âunpredictableâ (which means I sometimes show up late).â Ohio Stateâs offense, meanwhile, is like a five-star restaurant with a 10-page menuâso many options, but somehow you still end up ordering the same thing every time.
And letâs not forget the spread. -3.5 points for Ohio State? Thatâs the sportsbookâs way of saying, âWe think youâll win, but just barely, and weâre charging you extra for the privilege of hoping.â Itâs the basketball equivalent of ordering a âlargeâ soda and getting a âmediumâ with a side of existential dread.
Prediction: The Verdict (and a Warning About Over/Under)
Hereâs the bottom line: Ohio Stateâs depth, efficiency, and refusal to let anyone on their roster feel unappreciated make them the logical pick. West Virginiaâs three-pointers will rain like confetti at a parade, but their turnovers will be the flat tire that pops mid-celebration.
Final Score Prediction: Ohio State 72, West Virginia 65.
Why? Because the Buckeyesâ balanced attack will outlast the Mountaineersâ âgamble on three-pointers.â And yes, Iâm taking the UNDER on 141.5âWest Virginiaâs defense isnât that porous, and Ohio Stateâs âboring but effectiveâ style isnât exactly a points fest.
Go Buckeyesâor as I like to call them, âthe team that makes March Madness look like a well-organized spreadsheet.â
Created: Nov. 26, 2025, 3:53 p.m. GMT