NCAAW Betting Preview: Penn State @ West Virginia, December 4th

Monday night's basketball slate is mostly barren, but we have a great matchup early in the evening to keep us intrigued between Penn State and West Virginia. West Virginia is 7-0 headed into tonight, an even better start than last year's 10th seeded NCAA Tournament squad. Penn State is 7-1, and enters this week's AP poll at #25.

It's worth noting that Penn State has played a much stronger schedule than WVU's 279th ranked (per basketball reference) schedule, their lone loss coming in a very tight game to a phenomenal USC team. That's not to denigrate what West Virginia has done, but it is notable.

The Mountaineers have largely crushed opposition, smothering with their fullcourt pressure, winning by less than 9 points only once in a last second win over George Washington.

West Virginia's 4th ranked defense in the country juices their offense, forcing 14 steals per game. Penn State brings a balanced attack with an offensive rating just outside the top 25 (27th), and defense in the top quarter of Division 1 (58th).

The game is expected to be a close affair with Fanduel sportsbook's set at 4.5.

• Game Time: 6 pm EST
• Location: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
• How to Watch: Big 12 Now, ESPN+

Game Preview

Penn State has been undervalued to start the season, in my estimation. Penn State star, Makenna Marisa, hasn't made a massive leap in pure box score numbers, but her improvement in efficiency has been a boon to her and the team at large; She's shooting 58.1% on 2's this season, the first time she's shot over 50% inside the arc.

Part of that is due to her own growth, but the balanced attack of the Nittany Lions at large has been impactful. Penn State is 19th in the country in assists per game. They routinely play 9 deep, each player comfortable playing in the flow of the offense. They also create turnovers at an above average level, parlaying that into fastbreak and transition opportunities, as they're in the 93rd percentile for pace in D1 per Her Hoop Stats.

The Mountaineers are also above average in pace (top 25), which is why I would anticipate this game going over the scoring total.

While West Virginia's defense has been superb against the opponents they've played, I do expect the Penn State offensive output to be a much taller task for WVU. It will be key to see how the battle inside shakes out, as both teams tend to play fairly small.

Keep an eye on Shay Czieki in this game, the sophomore guard for Penn State. She's scored in double figures every game but one this season, and has been on a torrid run since she scored in single digits against St. John's. She's averaging 19.3 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 42.4 percent from deep on over 8 attempts per game. She is vital to this team's offensive growth and lightening the load on Makenna Marisa.