The women's college basketball regular season winds down this weekend. With so few games left, teams have decided most conference titles, but a few remain unsettled. TCU holds a half-game lead over Baylor and a one-game advantage over West Virginia, so the Big 12 race remains up for grabs.
Today's TCU and West Virginia games could directly impact the Big 12 race, so we're focusing on them in our NCAA Women's College Basketball Best Bets list of the day.
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Wednesday’s Best Women’s College Basketball Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
TCU (25-4, 13-3 Big 12) may be one of the most overlooked teams in the country. The Horned Frogs bring a four-game win streak into this contest, including wins over ranked teams No. 12 Baylor and No. 19 West Virginia.
In three of their four losses, TCU came up just one play short; the Horned Frogs fell to No. 12 Ohio State, No. 21 Texas Tech, and Colorado by a basket each time. They rank among the best offensive teams in the country (79.3 points per game, No. 2 nationally), and they also pair that scoring with strong defense (55.9 points per game allowed, No. 12).
Cincinnati (11-17, 6-10 Big 12) has endured a tougher season. The Bearcats score at a respectable rate, averaging 70.5 points per game (No. 100), but their defense struggles, allowing 70.8 points per game (No. 311).
Big spreads usually make me nervous, but the Horned Frogs own an effective field goal percentage that is ten points higher than Cincinnati's. I believe they can overwhelm the Bearcats' defense, and their own defense should limit whatever offense Cincinnati tries to create.
Pick: TCU -17.5 (-114)
No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. UCF Knights
The Mountaineers sit one game back and remain firmly in the Big 12 hunt. After their recent loss to TCU, they could use some help in the standings, but first they must handle games they should win-like this matchup against UCF. Based on how the teams matched up a couple of weeks ago, that shouldn't be an issue.
West Virginia dominated that game from start to finish. The Mountaineers jumped out to a 24-8 lead after the first quarter, extended it to 45-22 at halftime, and rolled to a 106-56 victory. UCF turned the ball over 23 times compared to just seven for WVU, lost the rebound battle 42-26, surrendered a 66-32 disadvantage in the paint, and managed only six fast-break points while West Virginia poured in 30.
UCF followed that blowout with two more lopsided losses, falling 93-63 to Baylor and 93-67 to Kansas State. West Virginia dropped a 59-50 decision to TCU but responded with a dominant 72-40 win over Oklahoma State.
Nothing suggests UCF can keep this game close, much less pull off an upset. The Knights are playing like a 2-14 conference team, and West Virginia should take control early once again.
Pick: WVU -21.5 (-106)
