The Big 12’s top team will be at home when the No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (15-2) welcome the Texas Longhorns (11-6) to WVU Coliseum. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Mountaineers are hoping to rebound after their 70-68 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Jaysean Paige was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points. The Longhorns, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-69 win against Oklahoma State on Saturday. Isaiah Taylor was the team’s top scorer, registering 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
Paige has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Mountaineers. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 three-pointer. Taylor has been hot for the Longhorns. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 22.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 three-pointers.
West Virginia could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as it’s ranked third in the nation in OR% at 43.1%. Alternatively, Texas ranks 273rd in the nation on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 68.1%. Also, the Longhorns commit the 29th-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 15.9%), while the disruptive defense of the Mountaineers causes the most (opponents’ TO% of 28.3%).
This one isn’t expected to be close when West Virginia, a substantial 12-point favorite, takes on Texas. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 145 points for this matchup. The Mountaineers have gone 15-2 Straight Up (SU) and 9-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Mountaineers have no trouble scoring as they rank 14th in the nation in offense with 84.2 points per game. The Mountaineers are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 20.0 per game. The rebounding edge goes to the Mountaineers in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.0 boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Mountaineers. The 63.8 points that West Virginia’s defense allows per game makes them the 25th-ranked defense in the country. West Virginia’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 4.0 three-pointers per game.
In the other locker room, the Longhorns are unsuccessful ATS with a 5-11 record even though they have an 11-6 SU record.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Mountaineers victory, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Texas in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 3-6 SU over the last few meetings. With a 5-4 record, the Longhorns also have the advantage ATS. Texas held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, West Virginia never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – WVU, ATS Winner – WVU, O/U – Over
Notes
West Virginia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of West Virginia’s last 5 games at home.
West Virginia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 7 games when playing Texas.
West Virginia is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 84.2 points per game (ranked 14th). Texas, on the other hand, allows 69.1 points per game (ranked 129th).
Texas has allowed an average of 70.8 points per away game this season. West Virginia averages 90.1 points per home game, ranking eighth in scoring.
Ranked 27th, the West Virginia Mountaineers have an offensive rating of 115.1. The Texas Longhorns rank 132nd with a defensive rating of just 100.2.
On average, West Virginia has 73.2 possessions per game and scores 1.151 points on each possession. Texas has both fewer possessions (68.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.093).
The Texas Longhorns average an effective field goal percentage of 50.4% this season. The West Virginia Mountaineers have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 50.4% or greater.
On average, West Virginia attempts 18.0 three pointers and Texas attempts 23.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the West Virginia Mountaineers are undefeated at 7-0 while the Texas Longhorns have a winning 9-5 record.
Texas, the 37th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.2 per game. West Virginia does worse, ranked 255th with 2.8.
West Virginia ranks second in offensive rebounding, placing it among the best in the country. Texas ranks a poor 256th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Texas forces a turnover rate of 19.3%. When West Virginia turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 7-2 record.
