Big 12 foes will battle when the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers (22-7) play the Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-10) at WVU Coliseum. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Mountaineers beat Oklahoma State 70-56 on Saturday. With 13 points and 15 rebounds, Devin Williams recorded his 13th double-double this season. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, are coming off a 67-58 loss to Kansas on Saturday. Toddrick Gotcher had a good shooting night, leading the game with 20 points.
The aggressive Texas Tech offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. It ranks 31st in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 43.6), while West Virginia gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 287th-ranked FTA rate of 55.1).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Mountaineers winning the first matchup 80-76. Despite the loss, Zach Smith was a top performer in the game with 18 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, and two blocks.
The Mountaineers come into this game 22-7 Straight Up (SU) and 17-10 Against The Spread (ATS). The Mountaineers have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire nation, averaging 83.2 points per game. The Mountaineers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 30th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 40.1 per game, while the Red Raiders rank 256th in the nation with 34.8 per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Mountaineers, who allow only 66.4 points per game. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Mountaineers, who have allowed only 5.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. West Virginia’s defenders rank second in Division I in steals with 9.9 per game.
As for their opponent, the Red Raiders have records of 15-11 ATS and 18-10 SU. Texas Tech is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, converting 18.0 shots from the line per game. Texas Tech may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Mountaineers averaging 23.5 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in Division I.
Following the Mountaineers’ latest win over Texas Tech, their SU record is now 8-1 over Texas Tech in their most recent games. Furthermore, West Virginia holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3. West Virginia held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five games, while Texas Tech wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU
Notes
“West Virginia is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games “.
“West Virginia is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of West Virginia’s last 6 games “.
“West Virginia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“West Virginia is 19-2 SU in its last 21 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of West Virginia’s last 10 games at home”.
“West Virginia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Texas Tech”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 6 games when playing Texas Tech”.
The West Virginia Mountaineers average 79.6 points per game, ranking 30th in the nation. The Texas Tech Red Raiders rank 97th in points allowed with 69.2.
West Virginia scores 83.2 points per home game (ranked 30th). Texas Tech ranks a poor 111th in points allowed on the road, allowing 73.0 points.
Ranked 55th, the West Virginia Mountaineers have an offensive rating of 112.1. The Texas Tech Red Raiders rank 144th with a defensive rating of just 103.2.
On average, West Virginia has 71.0 possessions per game and scores 1.121 points on each possession. Texas Tech has both fewer possessions (66.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.085).
Texas Tech has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.4%. West Virginia is a solid 10-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, West Virginia attempts 18.0 three pointers and Texas Tech attempts 16.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The West Virginia Mountaineers sit at 8-4 and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are 4-2.
Texas Tech, the 70th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.4 per game. West Virginia does worse, ranked 294th with 2.4.
West Virginia ranks second in offensive rebounding, placing it among the best in the country. Texas Tech ranks a poor 260th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Texas Tech forces a turnover rate of 19.1%. When West Virginia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 11-4 record.
