The West Virginia Mountaineers will be back at home on Sunday afternoon when they host the 13th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hope Coliseum.
WVU is coming off a gutty performance in a comeback victory on the road against Cincinnati, in which they overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to secure a 59-54 win. Undoubtedly, there is still work to be done over the last month of the regular season, as West Virginia is still not being highly regarded in NCAA Tournament conversations – though they are creeping back into the conversation.
Next up for the Mountaineers is an opportunity to pick up a signature win over the Red Raiders and improve to 7-4 in Big 12 play. Here's everything you need to know about the showdown between the two teams.
How to Watch WVU Basketball vs. No. 13 Texas Tech
Date: February 8
Time: 1:00 PM EST
Venue: Hope Coliseum, Morgantown, W.Va.
How to Watch: FOX
Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network/Varsity Network
WVU Record: 15-8 (6-4)
Texas Tech Record: 16–6 (6-3)
Betting Odds
Vegas oddsmakers are favoring the Red Raiders entering Sunday's game, but not by as much as you would imagine. Texas Tech enters as just 4.5-point favorites for the clash with the Mountaineers. The over/under for the game is currently set at 136.5 points.
Texas Tech Preview
How They Got Here
The Red Raiders began the season ranked 10th in the AP Poll. Notably, in the non-conference, they fell to Illinois in a four-point game and were blown out by Purdue, 86-56. They also lost to Arkansas before picking up a signature win over Duke at Madison Square Garden on December 20th.
With their 6-3 start to Big 12 play, the Red Raiders have split a pair of games with Houston, and have beaten Oklahoma State, Colorado, Utah, BYU, and Baylor. They will enter Sunday’s matchup with the Mountaineers having lost two in a row for the first time this season, falling to UCF on the road to Kansas at home in their most recent outings.
The Red Raiders will be looking to bounce back in a big way against the Mountaineers, who are desperate for a signature win.
Numbers to Know
29.6 & 38.6
Much like last season, the Red Raiders are among the best three-point shooting teams in the Big 12. They are attempting nearly 30 shots from behind-the-arc (29.6, first in the Big 12) per game while making 38.6% (second in Big 12) of their attempts.
They rank in the Top 25 nationally in both categories. At times this season, WVU has allowed too many open looks to three-point shooters. Defending the three-point line will be a key for the Mountaineers.
6.9
On the flip side, the Red Raiders are only allowing 6.9 made threes per game, which is the fewest allowed in the Big 12. This is an extremely important number to identify for the Mountaineers, who are coming off a game against Cincinnati in which they made no three-pointers in the first half before knocking down six in the second half.
It’s no secret that WVU has had its fair share of struggles on the offensive end as of late, and there appears to be a direct link to how well they shoot the ball from beyond the arc. In West Virginia’s last four games, their scoring outputs have been in the 50’s while going 2-2 overall. In those four contests, the Mountaineers are shooting just under 28% from beyond the arc in that stretch.
Players to Know
The Red Raiders are led by junior big man JT Toppin, who is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year. Toppin is averaging an impressive double-double this season of 21.8 points and 10.6 rebounds, both of which rank sixth nationally. Toppin will enter Sunday’s matchup having just played arguably his worst game of the season in the home loss to Kansas, where he managed just 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Toppin is joined by one of the best point guards in the country in sophomore year, Christian Anderson. The talented point guard is averaging 19.6 points and 7.5 assists per game. His 7.5 assists per game rank him third nationally. On top of his ability to find open teammates, he’s one of the premier shooters in the Big 12, making over 43% of his shots on nearly eight attempts per game. Anderson did not play against Kansas due to illness.
Several transfers have contributed to Grant McCasland’s team being viewed as one of the top teams in the Big 12 this year, none more impactful than LeJuan Watts (Washington State) and Donovan Atwell (UNC Greensboro). Watts is averaging 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Along with Christian Anderson, Atwell has proven to be an elite shooter in the Big 12, knocking down 43% of his shots on eight attempts per game.