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West Virginia enters Wednesday night’s road clash with an opportunity to remain within striking distance of the Big 12’s top two contenders in Baylor and Kansas. After some preseason hype and early-season top-25 rankings, Texas Tech has struggled with consistency throughout the year. These two teams met earlier in January in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers emerging victorious with a 12-point home win in a low-scoring affair. Texas Tech will certainly have revenge on its mind when these two conference foes hit the hardwood on Wednesday night, while West Virginia hopes to wrap up the season sweep.
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Mountaineers Hoping to End Road Woes
While West Virginia has been unbeatable on its home court, the Mountaineers have run into some issues in road contests on the year, combining for just a 3-3 record in true road contests on the year. For a team with only three tallies in the loss column on the season, West Virginia has really only looked vulnerable in games outside of the WVU Coliseum. West Virginia features a balanced offensive attack with three players averaging double-digit scoring, with none putting up more than 11.8 points per game individually. Led by forwards Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver, who have each put up nearly an average of a double-double on the season, West Virginia will need their talented big men to step up in order to walk out of Lubbock with a win.
The key to the Mountaineers success has been a stifling defense that has seen them allow 60.1 points per game, second lowest in the Big 12. In West Virginia’s three losses, the Mountaineers have given up 71.3 points per game, including a season-worst 84 in their most recent defeat at the hands of Kansas State. West Virginia is also one of the top rebounding teams in the country, averaging 42.3 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the country. For a team that ranks in the middle of the country with a 43.9% shooting percentage from the floor, the Mountaineers will need to maintain that level of dominance on the boards.
Texas Tech Looking for Resume-Boosting Win
The Red Raiders have been a tough team to figure out this year, with a win over previously top-ranked Louisville and losses against both Creighton and DePaul on the ledger. The range between Texas Tech’s best capabilities and some of their weaker performances has been concerning, and a 12-7 record on the season emphasizes that level of inconsistency. Entering Wednesday night’s road contest having dropped two consecutive games and four of their last six, and the Red Raiders need an upset win to jumpstart their NCAA Tournament resume. Despite having seven losses on the season, Texas Tech has not lost a single game by more than 12 points, showing the level of talent that keeps the Red Raiders close each time they take the floor.
Texas Tech offers a balanced attack on the offensive end, led by standout freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey’s 14.9 points per game and 39.2% clip from three-point range. Chris Beard’s bunch haven’t rebounded particularly well with just 35.4 rebounds per game, and with true shooting percentages that rank in the middle of the conference, it’s difficult for Texas Tech to find an edge against stiffer competition. The Red Raiders do feature a strong defense, holding opponents to 62.5 points per game, the fourth-lowest mark in the conference.
This one seems like it’s too important for Texas Tech to have a letdown, whereas the Mountaineers haven’t proven that they can consistently get it done on the road against tough competition. The line seems a bit too low for a Red Raiders bunch that figures to come out amped up and looking to make a statement. In what figures to shape up into another low scoring Big 12 clash. Take the Texas Tech Red Raiders -2.5 at A1pph.com ; our favorite pay per head bookie,
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