The West Virginia Mountaineers are one of those teams that, if they can get into a groove doing what they do best, can go a long way in the NCAA Tournament. But they would be well-advised not to look past the Murray State Racers, who are waiting for them in first-round action in the East Region, getting underway at 4 PM ET on TNT from the Viejas Arena in San Diego. BetAnySports patrons can get better value on the March Madness odds with reduced juice, and they can place wagers even after the game has started, using the state-of-the-art software from Live Betting Ultra.

Of course, if you follow college basketball at all, you know the story of "Press Virginia," which entails Bob Huggins' team applying quite a bit of pressure on the ball in an attempt to create opportunities. And they have been successful, forcing turnovers on 23.4% of their opponents' possessions, which is second best in the nation.

WVU lost its opener 88-65 to Texas A&M, then won fifteen games in a row with victories over Missouri, Baylor and #1 Virginia, and later on they beat teams like TCU and Texas Tech. But they lost three times to Kansas, which stung. Right now they are 24-10 straight-up and 15-15 against the points.

Murray State (26-5) is the Ohio Valley Conference champion, and the Racers are riding a 13-game winning streak. This is the 30th season in the last 31 in which they have produced a winning record. And they are quite possibly a very dangerous opponent in this tournament, no matter who they're playing.

In the March Madness odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Mountaineers are favored by double digits:

West Virginia Mountaineers -10.5
Murray State Racers +10.5

Over 145.5 points -110
Under 145.5 points -110

One Murray State player who will have some pressure on him is point guard Ja Morant, a freshman who has some upside. Morant averaged 12.6 points and 6.4 assists, but he has had some rough games, like the one where he committed seven turnovers against Austin Peay. His backcourt mate is Jonathan Stark, the Tulane transfer who averages 21.8 points and can break down a lot of defenses with three-point shooting (40.6%), and is a guy no one wants to foul (89.3% from line).

West Virginia's Jevon Carter is tied for the nationwide lead in steals, and he was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. For that honor, he had to beat out teammate Sagaba Konate, who is second in the nation in blocked shots. The Mountaineers are also ranked fourth in the country in Offensive Rebounding Percentage, so it will be incumbent upon the Racers (yielding just 30.8% from beyond the arc) to hold them to one shot.

Huggins' team has a number of quality wins and can be a little intimidating. But Murray State isn't likely to be flustered; they have fought tooth-and-nail, even in defeat, with the likes of Middle Tennessee (72-67) and Auburn (81-77). This is a team in the Top 50 of the RPI getting double-digits, and we'll go ahead and take that.

BetAnySports allows you to get better odds with reduced juice when you challenge the March Madness odds....... And keep wagering after the game begins with Live Betting Ultra........... To make deposits, use your Visa card, person-to-person transfers and the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!

(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)