West Virginia heads home for what seems to be a must-win game for the Mountaineers when they face Cincinnati on Wednesday.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: Series tied 12-12
LAST MEETING: Feb. 2, 2025 in Cincinnati — WVU 63, UC 50
TELEVISION: ESPN2
TIP-OFF: 7:00 p.m. ET
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
15-10 (1st season at WVU), 165-65 (7th season overall)
Wes Miller, Cincinnati
78-53 (4th season at TCU), 263-188 (14th season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
Cincinnati entered Saturday on a three-game winning streak, but that ended on the road against Iowa State. Jizzle James scored a career-high 25 points for the Bearcats, scoring 20 or more points in three straight games. UC would trail by four with 7:14 left, but scored only seven more points the remainder of the game as Iowa State held on for the 81-70 win.
West Virginia is coming off an overtime road loss to Baylor this past weekend. The Mountaineers were led by Javon Small who had 22 points, but the Bears scored all nine of their points in overtime from the free throw line as WVU couldn't make shots in the last five minutes. The loss was West Virginia's sixth in the last eight games.
By The Numbers — Cincinnati (15-10, 5-9 Big 12)
Cincinnati comes into the game near the bottom of the Big 12 in most offensive categories, however, they have not played like that as of late. The Bearcats are 13th in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 72.1 points per game, but over their last four games they are averaging 83 points per game.
UC is shooting 45.7 percent from the field on the year, and are shooting 33.5 percent from beyond the arc. However, over their last four games they are shooting 53.4 percent from the field and are shooting 50.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Cincinnati's defense is third in the Big 12 in scoring defense, letting up 65.1 points per game this season, while they are 7th in opponent field goal percentage, and 7th in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.
UC is +2.72 in turnover margin which is third in the Big 12. They are 11th in the league in rebounding margin, 14th in team free throw percentage, and have attempted the fewest free throws in the league this season.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Jizzle James, Day Day Thomas, Simas Lukosius, Dillon Mitchell, and Aziz Bandaogo, who have played 19.3 percent of the minutes together.
James leads UC scoring 12.2 points per game this season, and he was held scoreless in 19 minutes played during UC's first matchup against the Mountaineers this season. Since then, James has scored 15, 24, 25, and 25 points in each of his last four games respectively.
TCU comes into the game ranked 45th in the NET and 54th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for Cincinnati. They are 1-9 in Quad 1 games this season.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (15-10, 6-8 Big 12)
West Virginia continues to excel defensively, while their depth puts a limit on their offensive production. The Mountaineers are 15th in the league in scoring offense, but 2nd in scoring defense. WVU is 13th in team field goal percentage, and 3rd in opponent field goal percentage.
The Mountaineers have struggled to shoot the ball efficiently from beyond the arc, shooting 32.7 percent from three this season. At the same time though, WVU is fourth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 8.8. During Big 12 play, West Virginia has made 7.6 3-pointers per game, but WVU has made at least eight in each of their last five games. Defensively, West Virginia has held their opponents to shoot 28.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is the best in the Big 12 and ranks seventh in the country.
West Virginia is forcing 13.2 turnovers per game this season, but have not forced more than 12 in a game since Feb. 5 against TCU.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Amani Hansberry. This lineup has been used 24.1 percent of the time over WVU's past five games.
WVU's leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 18.6 points per game. Small is also 13th in field goal percentage, 3rd in free throw percentage, and 3rd in assists in the Big 12 this season.
West Virginia is ranked 44th in the NET, and 46th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 2 game for WVU as the Mountaineers are 2-3 in such games this year.
Standings Implications
WVU is 6-8 in Big 12 play while Cincinnati is a game behind the Mountaineers at 5-9. WVU is 11th in the league, while the Bearcats are 12th. WVU is the only 6-8 team currently, however they would tie Utah and Kansas State at 7-8 in the league standings if they were to win.
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