Texas Tech already lost one game to a top 10 team this week. Will West Virginia make it twice?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 13, 2:00 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas
After starting out Big 12 play with three straight wins, Texas Tech 14-2 (3-1) had finally taken a loss, a 75-65 defeat to Oklahoma. The Red Raiders’ top-ranked defense did its job, with Trae Young of the Sooners starting out 1/12 from the field and altogether holding the Sooners to about 20 points less than their season average.
The issue in the game came on the offensive end, with Texas Tech shooting 37% from the field. Kennan Evans had a good game with 19 points but was the only player to score double-digits for them.
They’ll have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday against the current No. 1 team in the league in West Virginia 15-1 (4-0). The Mountaineers are the only unbeaten team in the Big 12 and is the clear threat to dethrone Kansas at the top of the conference.
Their latest performance came in a 57-54 win over Baylor; a game where both teams made just 19 field goals and the Mountaineers survived shooting just 31% from the field. A big reason was the three-point shooting, where West Virginia had 10 of the team’s 19 makes coming from deep. Lamont West and Daxter Miles each had 12 points to lead the team, while Sagaba Konate had the best overall performance. He had 12 rebounds and seven blocks to go along with eight points.
These teams are a mirror image of each other. Both rely on their stellar defense to win games while having a senior leader at the point position to lead the way. Both are also balanced with a number of guys that can reach double-figures for their respective teams. This is an incredibly difficult one to predict since it’s at Texas Tech and the Red Raiders, but West Virginia is an experienced team that can win on the road.
However, I’m going with Texas Tech and here’s why. Evans rarely turns it over and only has five total giveaways in league play. If the Mountaineers struggle to force turnovers, their offense suffers as a result. This will be a tight battle to the end, but look for the Red Raiders to get a big win.
Prediction: West Virginia 63 – Texas Tech 66