Game Info
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-6, 6-3)
Bad Guys: West Virginia Mountaineers (15-8, 6-4)
When to Watch: Sunday, February 8th @ 12:00 am
Where to Watch: WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, West Virginia
How to Watch: FOX
How to Listen: 97.3 FM | Affiliates | Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -4.5
Advanced Stats
| TEXAS TECH | STAT | WEST VIRGINIA |
|---|---|---|
Lineups
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
|---|---|---|
| POINT GUARD | Christian Anderson (6-3/178) | 19.6 / 7.5* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jaylen Petty (6-1/168) | 9.2 / 4.0 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Donovan Atwell (6-5/200) | 12.1 / 3.3 |
| POWER FORWARD | LeJuan Watts (6-6/225) | 13.0 / 6.5 |
| CENTER | JT Toppin (6-9/230) | 21.8 / 10.6 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | Tyeree Bryan (6-5/215) | 4.6 / 3.0 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Josiah Moseley (6-8/225) | 4.0 / 3.3 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Luke Bamgboye (6-11/220) | 5.6 / 3.4 |
| NINTH MAN | Leon Horner (6-4/215) | 2.7 / 2.3 |
| TENTH MAN | Marial Akuentok (6-11/240) | 1.4 / 2.0 |
| ELEVENTH MAN | Nolan Groves (6-5/205) | 1.2 / 1.3 |
| TWELFTH MAN | Jazz Henderson (5-11/180) | 0.4 / 0.6 |
| THIRTEENTH MAN | LaTrell Hoover (7-0/230) | – / – |
| FOURTEENTH MAN | Jack Francis (6-3/180) | 0.0 / 0.3 |
| THE STARTERS | Pts / Reb | |
| POINT GUARD | Honor Huff (5-10/168) | 15.8 / 1.7* |
| SHOOTING GUARD | Jasper Floyd (6-3/190) | 6.6 / 3.8 |
| SMALL FORWARD | Treysen Eaglestaff (6-6/190) | 10.2 / 4.7 |
| POWER FORWARD | Brenen Lorient (6-9/215) | 10.9 / 5.0 |
| CENTER | Harlan Obioha (7-0/280) | 5.8 / 5.1 |
| THE BENCH | Pts / Reb | |
| SIXTH MAN | DJ Thomas (6-7/210) | 6.8 / 2.2 |
| SEVENTH MAN | Amir Jenkins (6-2/170) | 4.2 / 2.4 |
| EIGHTH MAN | Chance Moore (6-6/210) | 9.6 / 4.8 |
| NINTH MAN | Morris Ugusuk (6-4/170) | 1.7 / 1.7 |
| TENTH MAN | – (-/-) | – / – |
* Assists.
Starting 5
1. Stats. West Virginia is in a bit of a rough spot offensively, not terrible, but not good. The Mountaineers are 145 in eFG%, 205th in turnover rate, 189th in offensive rebounding, and 142nd in free throw rate. They are decent as shooting, 97th from 3, but 183rd inside the arc. They are not a good free throw shooting team, 322nd, while are 298th in getting their shot blocked. Defensively, Russ Hodge has them dealing. They are 15th in opponent 2-point shooting percent, 34th in opponent offensive rebounding, 21st in opponent free throw rate, and the only thing they don’t do well is block shots, 276th.
2. Scouting. No one really has a high usage rate, this is a team that’s moving the ball and don’t have guys that can just sort of score, which is probably part of the problem offensively. Fields has the highest offensive rating, but he is purely a mid-ranger scorer, he’s only shot 8 3’s all year. Fields is also the best rebounder Huff is a volume shooter, he’s got 218 3-point attempts already and he’s hitting at a decent rate, 37%, but that’s not elite.Lorient is also decent offensively, he’s the lone shot-blocker on the team. Moore and Obioha will also grab some boards, but their range again is mid range.
3. How They Match Up. Texas Tech sort of needs this one and with Russ Hodge at West Virginia, the former assistant coach under Grant McCasland, I get a little nervous thinking about it. Texas Tech was not great offensively against Kansas, it was pretty much a disaster in almost every aspect. Having Anderson back, which he should be, will help significantly. McCasland said that Anderson would be back for this game without restriction so Texas Tech should be at full strength, although the availability report says that Nolan Groves is out, but I don’t envision that being a big deal. This would seem like a game where Texas Tech wins because the offense is so much better, but West Virginia’s defense is the real deal and if the Mountaineers catch fire, it could be trouble.
4. lagniappe | something given as a bonus or extra gift.
Lady Raider Basketball: No. 18 Tech dominates the Houston Cougars
Texas Tech Softball: Tech earns big win over No. 11 A&M
5. Official Site. The official site has their preview right here:
No. 13 Texas Tech begins the second half of Big 12 play with a road game against West Virginia at 12 p.m. (CST) on Sunday in Morgantown, West Virginia at Hope Coliseum. The Red Raiders (16-6, 6-3 Big 12) have dropped consecutive games for the only time this season with a 64-61 loss to No. 11 Kansas on Monday at home after falling at UCF last Saturday in Orlando. Tech, which was on a five-game winning streak, is currently 2-2 on the road against conference opponents while the Mountaineers (15-8, 6-4 Big 12) are 13-1 on their home court. WVU went on the road and earned a 59-54 win over Cincinnati on Thursday night in Ohio. Both teams are 3-2 in their last five games.
“The one thing you’ll never do to them is punk them,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “They’re always going to fight. They’ll compete in a way that I respect. It’s like playing Houston to me. A tough team that you know is going to battle you on the glass and they’re going to get between you and the basket. They’ve got a plan on offense and are never out of a game because they’ll always stay together.”