| Story of the Tape |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Factors Per Sport | 77.1 | 74.5 |
| Scoring Margin | +22.9 | +10.6 |
| Discipline Objective Proportion | .461 | .436 |
| OPP Discipline Objective Proportion | .347 | .384 |
| 3-PT Discipline Objective Proportion | .415 | .346 |
| Opp 3-PT Discipline Objective Proportion | .291 | .281 |
| Free Throw Proportion | .740 | .754 |
| Rebounds Per Sport | 38.5 | 36.1 |
| Assists Per Sport | 13.6 | 14.2 |
| Turnovers Per Sport | 9.4 | 11.1 |
| Steals Per Sport | 8.5 | 7.7 |
| Blocks Per Sport | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Streak | W8 | W1 |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia will likely be coming into the cougar’s den on Wednesday night time when it faces 10th-ranked Houston on the Fertitta Middle.
The Cougars (12-3 total and 4-0 in Huge 12 play) presently have the nation’s longest home-court successful streak at 31 straight video games, and they’re coming off a dominant, 87-57 efficiency at Kansas State final Saturday. It could be Houston’s finest all-around effort of the season.
It was additionally Houston’s eighth straight victory since struggling a 73-70 additional time loss to San Diego within the comfort spherical of the Gamers Period Match on the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment in Las Vegas on Nov. 30.
The Cougars’ different two defeats have been to now-top-ranked Auburn, 74-69, on the Toyota Middle in Houston on Nov. 9, and towards now-fourth-ranked Alabama, 85-80 in additional time, in Las Vegas.
Houston’s eight consecutive wins embody convention triumphs towards Oklahoma State, BYU, TCU and Kansas State heading into Wednesday night time.
As soon as once more, in-your-face protection is Houston’s calling card underneath veteran coach Kelvin Sampson with the Cougars permitting solely 54.2 factors per sport with opponents capturing simply 34.7% from the ground.
Offensively, the 3-point capturing of guards L.J. Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp ranks among the many finest within the nation. Sharp is connecting at a 48.8% clip from behind the arc, whereas Cryer is capturing 41%. Each have made 41 3s every, among the many finest within the Huge 12, and are averaging an equivalent 14.1 factors per sport.
The remainder of Houston’s beginning 5 consists of 6-foot-4 guard Milos Uzan, 6-foot-8 ahead J’Wan Roberts and 6-foot-8 ahead Joseph Tugler. Roberts is averaging 8.9 factors and 6.7 rebounds per sport, whereas Uzan reveals averages of 8.9 factors and three.2 boards per contest.
Terrance Arceneauz, a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard, offers Houston some scoring pop off the bench, averaging 9.1 factors per sport, third-best on the group.
Further measurement comes from 6-foot-8 senior ahead Ja’Vier Francis and 6-foot-9 sophomore Cedric Lath.
It was Sharp who led a balanced Houston scoring assault with 15 factors in Saturday’s 30-point victory at Kansas State. Tugler chipped in with 13 factors and 10 rebounds, Cryer and Francis scored 11 every, whereas Roberts added 10.
Houston outscored Kansas State 52 to 18 within the paint, 30 to 12 off the bench and 21 to 7 in fast-break factors. The Cougars additionally had a 20 to 1 benefit in second-chance factors, which suggests West Virginia goes to have to determine a method to preserve them off the glass.
Houston outrebounds its opponents by greater than seven boards per sport whereas grabbing 13.1 offensive rebounds per contest. By comparability, West Virginia has allowed 10 extra rebounds than it has grabbed in 15 video games thus far this season.
Houston should cope with West Virginia’s Javon Small, the Huge 12’s main scorer at 19.8 factors per sport. Small tallied a game-high 26 factors within the Mountaineers’ 78-70 win at Colorado on Sunday to assist them enhance to 12-3 total and 3-1 in Huge 12 play.
Sampson was requested about Small throughout his weekly zoom name with Houston media earlier this week.
“Expertise, expertise, expertise …” he mentioned. “Swagger; (Small) can play left or proper off the drive and shoot step-back 3s. Their group has a terrific swagger to them, and I feel they get it from Javon. He is simply the most effective guards within the nation.”
Sampson continued.
“He scores in any respect three ranges. He is a terrific finisher. He is a 3-point shooter, and he scores within the paint,” he famous. “We’ve not seen all of the video games, however watching Colorado, and that is a very good group, a particularly well-coached group, and I simply actually love the best way Javon performs.”
Guard Joseph Yesufu got here off the bench to contribute a season-high 18 factors towards Colorado, whereas Eduardo Andre added 12 factors on 5-of-5 capturing. It was Andre’s 15 factors, six rebounds and 4 steals that helped West Virginia to its historic 62-61 win at Kansas to snap the Mountaineers’ 11-game dropping streak at Allen Fieldhouse.
An analogous effort could be required on Wednesday night time by these and others to drag off one other consequential street upset at Houston.
Final yr, the Cougars fully dominated West Virginia in an 89-55 victory on the Fertitta Middle. That was the Mountaineers’ solely different go to there.
West Virginia dropped out of this week’s Related Press Prime 25 however stays within the coaches’ ballot at No. 25.
Wednesday night time’s sport will tip off at 8 p.m. ET and will likely be televised on ESPN+ (James Westling and Reid Gettys).
Mountaineer Sports activities Community radio protection with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn suggestions issues off at 7 p.m. on stations all through West Virginia, on-line by way of WVUsports.com and the Varsity Community and WVU Gameday apps.
WVU returns to the Coliseum this Saturday to face second-ranked Iowa State in a sport that may honor the reminiscence and lasting legacy of Mountaineer legend Jerry West, who died on June 12, 2024, in Los Angeles.
The Iowa State sport has already been introduced a sellout.
