The West Virginia Mountaineers didn't get to continue their season in the NCAA Tournament, but they did earn a bid to an alternative postseason tournament in the College Basketball Crown. WVU will play their first game of the tournament on Thursday as they battle Stanford in the quarterfinal round.
And while WVU fans are hoping for an impressive performance this week in Las Vegas that ends with the program bringing home some hardware to Morgantown and securing some NIL prize money, the betting odds ahead of tip-off do not bode well for a long stay in the Sin City for the Mountaineers.
WVU basketball underdogs against Stanford in College Basketball Crown
The Mountaineers will tip-off against the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday night at 8 PM EST on FS1, but they won't be entering the game as favorites. The Cardinal are 1.5-point favorites in the contest, which is set to take place on a neural court at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The Cardinal finished 20-12 overall on the season and 9-9 in ACC play, and are led by freshman Ebuka Okorie, who led the team in scoring with 22.8 points per game while also adding 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contests.
WVU meanwhile, finished the season 18-14 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12. They will be taking most of their lineup with them to Las Vegas, but will be missing one bench player in the rotation, as freshman guard Amir Jenkins needs shoulder surgery and will miss the tournament.