Texas Tech at West Virginia: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Texas Tech and West Virginia meet in another high-impact Big 12 matchup; can the Red Raiders get another nice win on the road?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 5, 2:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia
Texas Tech (17-5) is playing fantastic basketball in recent weeks and has absolutely emerged as a contender to win the Big 12 this season. They may have lost coach Chris Beard to Texas, but got sweet revenge with a double-digit win over the Longhorns this past week. The Red Raiders‘ only disappointing loss is at Kansas State and they’ve looked stellar in the five games since then.
There has been no shortage of heroes for the Red Raiders this season, with senior forward Bryson Williams (13.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) emerging as the leading scorer. Senior forward Kevin Obanor (10.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) has been a big contributor since transferring from Oral Roberts; he hopes to play a starring role for a second straight March. Let’s not forget junior guard Kevin McCullar (10.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), who had 19 points in that win over the Longhorns.
Texas Tech is 14th in the AP Top 25, 11th in KenPom, and 10th in the NET rankings. The Red Raiders continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the nation and have shown that often this season. When the offense struggles, this team runs into problems, but they have a flurry of scorers who should continue to balance each other out. When their defense is playing like it has this past week, this Texas Tech is hard to beat.
Across the court, West Virginia (13-8) hopes to pick up a nice win to get themselves out of the Big 12 cellar. The Mountaineers are just 2-6 in Big 12 play and have now dropped six straight games. This is still a good team, they’ve just played a tedious schedule, though now would be a good time to steal a win to get back on track.
The Mountaineers are powered by senior guard Taz Sherman (18.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg), who has emerged as a legitimate scoring threat on a nightly basis. Senior guard Sean McNeil (13.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) has been a great second option for this offense and has taken care of the basketball. Beyond this, the Mountaineers are struggling to get consistency, though sophomore forward Jalen Bridges (8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has had some nice performances.
West Virginia is just 58th in KenPom and 64th in the NET rankings, meaning this team is likely on the outside of the NCAA Tournament started imminently. There are plenty of chances for wins to get back on track over the next month. The defense continues to be fierce and force turnovers, but this team is struggling at rebounding and it’s gotten them in trouble in Big 12 play.
From an initial glance, this seems like a game Texas Tech should win, even in the hostile road environment at West Virginia. Both of these teams focus on their stingy defenses, meaning this could be one of those grindy, low-scoring games. The Red Raiders have a bit more firepower and West Virginia will absolutely need to limit second-chance opportunities.
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There are no easy games in the Big 12; Texas Tech lost at Kansas State just three weeks ago after all. There’s absolutely reason to believe the Mountaineers can win this game, but these teams are trending in two opposite directions. Sherman is great, but he’s going to need more help. This team did just lose a close game at Baylor but will struggle to get back on track against a strong Texas Tech squad.