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The West Virginia Mountaineers take on the Elon Phoenix at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday in the first round of the 2021 Charleston Classic. West Virginia is trying to find its way back in to the AP Top 25 this season after ending last year ranked No. 13. Its latest case to voters came in a dominating 75-59 win over Pitt on Friday. Meanwhile, Elon guard Zac Ervin has scored 44 points with 11 rebounds over his last two games to get Elon back on track after a season-opening loss to Florida on November 9.

The Mountaineers are favored by 14 points in the latest West Virginia vs. Elon odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 135.5. Before making any Elon vs. West Virginia picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,100 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on West Virginia vs. Elon. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Elon vs. WVU:

  • West Virginia vs. Elon spread: West Virginia -14
  • West Virginia vs. Elon over-under: 135.5 points

What you need to know about West Virginia

Last year's top player, Miles McBride is off to the NBA, where he has started play in the G-League after a couple of short appearances with the New York Knicks to start the season. So far, Taz Sherman and Jalen Bridges have stepped up to lead the Mountaineers on offense. Sherman hasn't been overly efficient, but he's managed to stay productive, and has scored 35 total points with nine rebounds to start the season.

Bridges had a bit of a quiet debut against Oakland, but was more assertive in West Virginia's last game against the Panthers, when he scored 18 points and made nearly 67 percent of his field goal attempts. Bridges and forward Dimon Carrigan have been two of the team's best defenders, and each have three blocks through in their first two games. The Mountaineers have 18 blocks already, which is more total times than Elon has been blocked through three games this season.

What you need to know about Elon

Elon's only wins so far this season have come against NAIA and NCAA D-III opponents. Outside of Ervin, guard Hunter McIntosh has got off to a strong start. He's hitting nearly 45 percent of his field goal attempts, and scoring 16.7 points per game so far this season.

Another player to keep an eye on for Elon is forward Michael Graham. The sophomore is a starter this season, and has been productive in an expanded role. Last year, he averaged just 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game. As a starter this season, he is hitting 68 percent of his field goal attempts, and averaging 12 points and 10 boards per game.

How to make Elon vs. West Virginia picks

The model is leaning over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Who wins West Virginia vs. Elon? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks.