Texas vs West Virginia: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Texas and West Virginia meet Saturday night; can the Longhorns complete the season sweep or will the Mountaineers salvage another surprising home win?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 9, 8:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia
Despite playing in a very tough Big 12, Texas (13-10) finds themselves playing .500 ball in conference play. They’ve certainly struggled at times this season and the program hasn’t really blossomed as some expected under Shaka Smart. That being said, the Longhorns did score a solid home win over conference leader Baylor on Wednesday, and using that momentum going forward will be important.
Senior guard Kerwin Roach Jr. (14.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the player to watch for the Longhorns. Roach dropped 21 points on the Bears earlier in the week and has been hitting his 3-pointers lately. Senior forward Dylan Osetkowski (10.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg) is the player to watch down low, though he’s really struggled with his outside shot in recent weeks. Freshman forward Jaxson Hayes (10.6 ppg) could be a force, already making 74% of his field goals this season.
Their record looks average, but this Texas squad is 27th in KenPom and has played one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Playing in the Big 12 is a big part of that, but their defense has actually been decent. They give up more 3-pointers than you’d like, but their defense down low has been solid. Outside of a clunker at Georgia two weeks ago, all of their Big 12 losses have been close games; this team is better than your average 13-10 team.
Wearing the home colors, West Virginia (10-13) feels like they’re anything but home. The Mountaineers did score a monumental home upset over Kansas three weeks ago, but this year’s been a massive struggle, a 2-8 Big 12 record with plenty of tough games still on the schedule.
The season-ending injury to junior forward Sagaba Konate (13.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg) really toppled this team. Senior forward Esa Ahmad (12.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has been expected to pick up the slack, but he really struggled in their loss to Texas Tech on Monday. Fortunately, freshman forward Derek Culver (12.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg) seems to be fully back from his injury, dropping 23 points and 12 boards in that rough loss.
West Virginia’s usually sound defense isn’t even in the top 100 in defensive efficiency and the team overall sits at 106th in KenPom. The Mountaineers are really good at grabbing offensive boards and they hit their free throws, but turnovers have really hurt this team. They’ve had significant shooting woes, especially from outside, but maybe Culver can stem that tide.
For the Longhorns, this is another winnable game in a stretch where this team can get back into this Big 12 race. They need to feed their forwards to open up the outside shots for Roach and the other shooters, something the Mountaineers might not be able to stop. Those Mountaineers will need their offense to step up and another big game from Culver is almost a necessity.
Next. Big 12 Power Rankings. dark
If there was any game that West Virginia could steal, this would be the game. Texas is riding the high from their home win over Baylor, plus the Longhorns have dropped their last five road games. Expect the Mountaineers to win a close game, utilizing their forwards and dominating the boards.