Advertisement
basketball Edit

WVU travels to Texas Tech where another major challenge awaits

DISCUSS: Visit the Blue Lot to discuss West Virginia all year long

When Bob Huggins team at Cincinnati was elevated to the No. 1 spot in the nation a friend told him a phrase that has stuck with him to this day.

“The dog with the bone is always in danger,” his friend said.

West Virginia now sits No. 2 nationally, the highest ranking for the program since the 1959 season, and that phrase is just as relevant now as it was then. The challenge isn’t just getting to a high place in the rankings, no that’s actually the easy part. Remaining there is the hard part.

“It’s hard to stay there,” Huggins said.

And it isn’t just the national ranking either, as West Virginia is the only unbeaten team in Big 12 Conference play meaning that there will be a bullseye on their backs.

West Virginia is coming off a grind-it-out 57-54 home victory over Baylor and now will hit the road against a balanced Texas Tech team that also is perched inside the top ten nationally. The Red Raiders play as many as ten players at least ten minutes per game and has a roster that is loaded with balance.

That balance makes the Red Raiders a difficult team to defend.

“They play ten people and play ten people a bunch,” Huggins said. “…They stay fresh and active.”

The Red Raiders have started the season 14-2, losing their first Big 12 Conference game on the road at Oklahoma Tuesday after previously upending Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Senior guard Keenan Evans leads Texas Tech in scoring at 17.3 points per game in only 26.9 minutes serving as both a distributor and scorer for the Red Raiders.

“Evans is terrific at the point and makes huge plays for them,” Huggins said.

The Red Raiders also have a pair of freshmen in Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver, who have played nothing like their class designation. Through 16 games, Smith is second on the team at 10.4 points per game and Culver is right behind at 10.3 points per contest.

Each of them can not only shoot the ball, but handle it and head coach Chris Beard has done an excellent job of integrating the two in with the veterans on the team.

“I don’t know anybody that has two better freshmen,” Huggins said.

While Beard is one of the lesser known commodities in the Big 12 coaching circles, Huggins has been impressed with his ability to win at each of his previous stops.

“They’re very fortunate to have him,” Huggins added.

Huggins also was asked how junior forward Esa Ahmad will fit into the picture with his return this weekend and if he was set to start the game but for now that remains undetermined.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest in Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

Advertisement