As of now both West Virginia and Texas Tech are slated to be NCAA Tournament teams, but they face off for their only regular season matchup on Saturday.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: West Virginia leads 18-10
LAST MEETING: March 2, 2024 in Morgantown — TTU 81, WVU 70
TELEVISION: ESPN+ (James Westling / Sean Harrington)
TIP-OFF: 1:00 p.m. ET
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
16-10 (1st season at WVU), 166-65 (7th season overall)
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
44-16 (2nd season at TCU), 255-105 overall
LAST TIME OUT
Texas Tech comes into Saturday off a 69-66 loss on the road to TCU this week. The Red Raiders trailed by eight at halftime, and TTU's last lead came at 63-62 with 4:17 to play. TCU led by five with 11 seconds to play, and then Tech made a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play. Tech had a chance to tie at the buzzer but missed a 3-pointer. Texas Tech shot 49 percent from the field and was led by Darrion Williams, who had 21 points.
West Virginia enters Wednesday off a 62-59 win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Mountaineers led by nine with 8 seconds to play, but UC had a chance to tie it at the buzzer but missed. Amani Hansberry had 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the win, while Javon Small added 16 points for WVU.
By The Numbers — Texas Tech (20-6, 11-4 Big 12)
Texas Tech comes into the game having the best offense in the Big 12, averaging 81.8 points per game this season. Texas Tech has been held under 81 points three times in their last six games and they are 1-2 in those games. During Big 12 play, the Red Raiders are 5-2 when scoring at least 81 points.
Tech is second in the league in field goal percentage, making 48 percent of their shots this season, and they are also second in team 3-point percentage at 38.3 percent, while they are making 9.8 3-pointers per game this season.
Defensively, Texas Tech is 5th in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing teams to score 67.1 points per game this season. During Big 12 play, Texas Tech is allowing 69.9 points per game, which is 6th in the league during that stretch. Defensively, Texas Tech is 8th in opponent field goal percentage, and 8th in 3-point defense.
Texas Tech is 5th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin, and 6th in turnover margin. They are 3rd in free throw percentage and have attempted 463 free throws this year which is 10th in the Big 12.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Elijah Hawkins, Christian Anderson, Chance McMillian, Darrion Williams, and JT Toppin. This lineup has been used 22.4 percent of the time over their last five games.
Toppin leads Tech in scoring at 17.1 points per game, and he's also averaging 9.2 rebounds per game this season. Toppin is 4th in the Big 12 in scoring and Texas Tech has three of the top 11 scorers in the Big 12. Toppin's 9.2 rebounds per game are third-best in the Big 12.
Texas Tech comes into the game ranked 7th in the NET and 8th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 2 game for Texas Tech. They are 4-1 in such games this season, and they are also 6-4 in Quad 1 games.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (16-10, 7-8 Big 12)
West Virginia this season is 15th in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 69.2 points per game this season. In Big 12 play, WVU has averaged 63.1 points per game, which is last in the league. WVU is 7-4 when scoring at least 60 points in a game during league competition.
Defensively, West Virginia is allowing 64.4 points per game during league play, which is second in the Big 12. When West Virginia allows under that average, they are 6-1. They are 1-7 when they allow more than 64 points per game in league play.
West Virginia is shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc this season, which is 13th in the league, but they are averaging the fourth-most made 3-pointers per game at 8.7. WVU has made nine or more threes in three of their last six games, and they are 2-1 in such games. Defensively, West Virginia is the best team in the league in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, holding opponents to 28.9 percent from beyond the arc.
WVU is last in the league in rebounding margin, 7th in team free throw percentage, and 14th in free throws attempted this season in the Big 12. The Mountaineers are 4th in the league in turnover margin, 5th in blocked shots, and 6th in steals.
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 24.8 percent of the time over that stretch.
WVU's leading scorer is Small, who is second in the Big 12 at 18.5 points per game. Small however is 4th in assists, 3rd in free throw percentage, and first in the league in minutes played. Hansberry is 15th in the league in rebounding averaging 6.2 boards per game.
West Virginia is ranked 43rd in the NET, and 46th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for WVU as the Mountaineers are 5-8 in such games this year. WVU is 3-5 in true road games this season.
Standings Implications
Texas Tech is currently tied with Iowa State for third place in the Big 12 at 11-4. The Red Raiders have a two-game separation between them and BYU who is at 9-6. Following their game against WVU, Texas Texh plays Houston who is atop the Big 12 at 14-1.
West Virginia is in a three-way tie for ninth place in the league at 7-8. WVU is tied with Utah and Kansas State for that position, and there are three teams (Kansas, Baylor, TCU), who are one game ahead of the Mountaineers at 8-7 in the league standings. Utah travels to face UCF this week, while Kansas State hosts Arizona State.
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