A match-up of the two most disappointing teams in the Big 12 comes up on Wednesday, when West Virginia travels to West Texas to face Texas Tech. Of course, in a league as good as the Big 12, someone has to finish last, and that doesn't necessarily convey awful status on teams competing to stay out of that spot, but there's no doubt that both schools had hopes of finishing much higher in the conference standings.

West Virginia (11-8, 1-7) at Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7)Wed Jan 25 7:00 PM ETUnited Supermarkets ArenaLubbock, TXTV: ESPNUNET: WVU: 30 / TT: 73Series: WVU 16-8Last Game: TT 60-53Twitter: @BlueGoldNewsFacebook: BlueGoldNewsWeb: BlueGoldNews.com

Coming off a trip to the conference finals and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16, head coach Mark Adams thought he had rebuilt and reloaded his team for another run at similar status, but the Red Raiders have lost seven straight games for the first time in a decade. Add in a very unimpressive non-conference schedule, and the most Tech can hope for this year is a rallying finish for an NIT bid.

Kevin Obanor (6-8, 235 lbs.) has been a steady force for the Red Raiders this season. Averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 boards per game this season, he will finish his career in Lubbock as a member of the 2,000-1,000 club.

WVU, according to assistant coach Josh Eilert, must move the ball, especially from side to side, to have hope of cracking Tech's usually tough defense. The Mountaineers, as in many areas this year, have been wildly inconsistent in that play phase. Most recently, WVU did a good job of sharing and swinging the ball against TCU, which helped produced one of its most efficient offensive halves of the season, but fell back into too much dribbling in place against Texas, which resulted in 20 turnovers and a painfully stagnant attack, most notably in the second half.

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Tech forward K.J. Allen was a featured player in the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U, which followed the fortunes of East Los Angeles College, a juco in Monterey, California. That series, while over-dramatizing some situations, provides an excellent look at the trials and tribulations of those fighting for a chance at a scholarship at a four-year school while trying to overcome many personal struggles and setbacks.

It also, unintentionally, reflects the issues many Division I teams, such as West Virginia, are experiencing in trying to put together teams that see two-thirds of their rosters roll over from year to year.

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WVU is still trying to hang its hat on its NET and Kenpom ratings, but metrics only take you so far, and the Mountaineers are steadily dropping to the fringe or entirely off the lists of those making estimations of NCAA Tournament selections. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are also falling fast, reflecting the fact that at least some wins have to accompany strength of schedule.

Did West Virginia overschedule this year? Would a couple of more wins, and a schedule that didn't include, say, Xavier and Purdue, have been better overall?

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WVU has, for several years, been listed as the 20th winningest team in NCAA Division I history. Now, according to Wikipedia, the University of Washington has 1,839 wins, one ahead of WVU's 1,838. If accurate, that drops the Mountaineers to 21st.

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One of the reasons for Texas Tech's mediocre play has been shortcomings in ball security. The Red Raiders have 273 turnovers against 267 assists, and that ratio is much worse in league games, with 106 turnovers outweighing their 74 assists.

West Virginia's propensity to turn the ball over is also well-known, so the team that is able to lessen its normal average of possession-enders could have an edge in this contest. After believing the turnover issue had been at least partially corrected after games of seven (Baylor) and 5 (Oklahoma), WVU has again gone on an error-filled streak, with a combined 35 in its last two games. That's tied for the highest two-game stretch this year (Kansas State and Oklahoma State).

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After starting off the season with a blistering 3-point shooting percentage of 48.2% (27-56), Erik Stevenson is just 7-36 (19.4%) in WVU's most recent seven games. A few rim outs have contributed to the fact that he's clearly struggling mentally with his overall game. He's being asked to do some things, like distribute the ball and create off the dribble, that weren't necessarily part of his game at previous schools, and his intense and combative style of play has also led to some frustration that may be carrying over into his shooting.

It's unfair to expect him to shoot 48% from 3-point distance, and it should be noted that his current mark of 36.2% at WVU is the best of his career. He has to find a way to not let his passionate style of play affect his shooting. That's a big ask, however.

Did we witness the figurative end of West Virginia’s men’s basketball season this past weekend?

There are at least 13 games remaining for the Mountaineers – 12 regular season contests, plus at least one in the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City – but given the demeanor and comments of WVU head coach Bob Huggins following the game, plus the feelings engendered and conclusions drawn as West Virginia wasted yet another second-half lead and imploded down the stretch against Texas, it’s hard not to feel that there’s anything other than more of the same in store.

Sports, of course, includes a lot of emotional investment, and when things go wrong for your team, the reactions can be mercurial. That’s part of fandom, understandably. But when the weight of the same mistakes and errors of both commission and omission continue to pile up, there’s a point that gets passed, where hope of improvement and thoughts of “they’re close to turning it around” become more wishful thinking than objective analysis.

Hollowing Saturday’s loss, Huggins offered some comments in a different vein than those of his normal postgame analysis, noting that there are “issues that I am not at liberty to talk about,” observing that there are players who are getting minutes that don’t deserve them, and that problems that he thought had been corrected are cropping up again before admitting, not for the first time this season, that he did not know what to do in order to correct some of them.

None of that offers much hope for any different outcome to this season than to that of 2021-22, in which the Mountaineers finished 4-14 in the league and missed the postseason again.

During Texas’ postgame interview with Longhorn coach Rodney Terry, a parade of UT fans and boosters filed into the small area in one of the WVU Coliseum Club sections that is set aside for media interviews with coaches and players.

This was apparently done at the behest of Terry and UT – perhaps viewing it as a perk of accompanying the team on a road trip. It was also incredibly unprofessional, as postgame interviews are supposed to be a working environment for those covering the game in a working capacity, not a sightseeing opportunity for fans.

Big 12 rules require that the visiting coach be made available to media at the same location as the home coach – typically, the visiting coach and players go first so they can get their travels underway a bit more quickly – but bringing along a fan group, which numbered some 20 members, shouldn’t be a part of the deal.

Was Terry, who is serving in an interim capacity, trying to curry a bit of favor with a group that figured to included at least some significant donors?

Apparently this isn’t the first time the Longhorns have done this – reports indicate that their women’s team did the same thing on their recent visit to the Coliseum.

While UT’s anticipated exit from the league can’t come soon enough, perhaps the Big 12 should issue some working rules to address this issue. It so happened that league commissioner Brett Yormark was in attendance at Saturday’s game.

Need some better outcomes to boost your mood?

West Virginia’s women’s hoop team put together the antithesis of the men’s showing just a few hours prior to the men’s loss on Saturday, making some critical plays in the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth contest to get a 67-57 win over Texas Tech. That moved the women to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12, where they stand fifth overall.

WVU head coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s squad is showing some of the growth and progress the men’s team has lacked, as they have not only fit themselves into her preferred up-tempo pace and 3-point shooting reliance, but also shown the ability to make adjustments when some of those tactics aren’t working.

The Red Raiders clogged the lane and contested WVU’s shooters on the perimeter to forge a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead, and the visitors also took advantage of some Mountaineer miscues to cut a 12-point lead to four in the final period. WVU steadied its ship on both occasions, though, In the last quarter, West Virginia made five of its seven 3-point attempts and drained 12 of 13 from the free throw line to get the victory.

If, as Huggins noted, his team put on a clinic of everything a team can do to lose a game down the stretch, then Plitzuweit’s squad did just the opposite in grabbing a satisfying home win.

Any observer of those two games would quickly come to the conclusion that the women would have a much better chance of making the NCAA Tournament, but NET rankings and bracket predictions are still showing a rosier view for the men than the women.

The Mountaineer men have been dropping quickly in the NET rankings, down to 30th at the latest viewing, but they were still holding on to one of the final NCAA Tourney selection spots in 52 of the 76 predictions tracked by Bracket Matrix.

The WVU women, despite a much better record, aren’t on any of the bracket predictions (those are admittedly fewer in number).

Despite a strength of schedule that isn’t awesome but is still better than a number of Power 5 schools (West Virginia is 108th and 116th in two major SOS metrics out of 361 D1 teams), the women’s team is just 67th in the NET and 73rd in the RPI after the Texas Tech win on Saturday.

Understandably, comparing the two rankings isn’t a mathematically defensible process, as each uses a different algorithm to come up with its ratings, and obviously strength of schedule is a huge factor in each.

On a higher level, though, the Big 12 women’s conference is similar to the men’s, albeit a bit less strong at the top. Three teams are in the top 24 of the women’s NET, and nine of the 10 teams have a NET ranking of 70 or higher. Perhaps, if the Mountaineer women continue to do well in the league, they can climb those ratings a forge a spot in the Tournament.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University women’s basketball team returns to Morgantown to play host to Texas Tech on Saturday inside the WVU Coliseum. Tipoff against the Lady Raiders is tabbed for 1 p.m.

Saturday’s game is a Gold Rush, and all fans are encouraged to wear gold. Additionally, there will be gold shakers given to fans in attendance. It’s also WVU’s Alumni Reunion Game, with former players being recognized on-court at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Saturday’s matchup with the Lady Raiders will be broadcast live on the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WSZT-FM, with Andrew Caridi and John Antonik on the call. Fans also can listen to the game on the Varsity Network App.

Additionally, Saturday’s game also will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Eric Little and Meg Bulger on the call. Live stats and game notes will be available on WVUsports.com.

Tickets for Saturday’s contest can be purchased at WVUGAME.com or by visiting the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located inside the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.

Sunday’s matinee marks the 22nd all-time meeting between WVU (12-5, 3-3 Big 12) and Texas Tech (15-4, 3-3 Big 12). West Virginia is 16-5 all time against Texas Tech, including 8-2 in games played in Morgantown.

WVU has won 14 of the last 15 meetings with TTU, dating back to March 6, 2015. That includes 11 consecutive unbeaten matchups with the Lady Raiders from Jan. 25, 2017-Feb. 23, 2022.

Last time out, the Mountaineers fell to Kansas, 77-58, on Jan. 18, inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Despite leading by 14 at halftime, WVU couldn’t overcome KU in the second half and ultimately suffered the road defeat.

Junior forward Kylee Blacksten led WVU’s scoring efforts with 13 points, while senior guard Jayla Hemingway (12), sophomore guard JJ Quinerly (12) and redshirt sophomore guard Kyah Watson (10) joined Blacksten in double figures.

Quinerly and junior guard Savannah Samuel led WVU in rebounds, hauling in six boards apiece.

As a team, West Virginia finished the game shooting just 21-of-66 (31.8%) from the field, including 6-of-29 (20.7%) from 3-point range. Kansas shot 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the floor and 7-of-22 (31.8%) from beyond the arc.

On the season, Quinerly paces West Virginia in scoring, at 13.2 points per game. She is joined in double figures by Smith with 12.6 points per game.

The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 Conference in turnover margin (8.24) and steals per game (10.8). West Virginia also is second in the league in scoring defense, as it is holding opponents to just 57.5 points per game this season. WVU ranks No. 45 nationally in the category.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia women’s basketball team (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) returns to the road for a midweek matchup at Kansas on Wednesday in Lawrence, Kansas.

Tipoff against the Jayhawks is set for 8 p.m. ET, inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Wednesday’s contest against KU will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Josh Klingler and Brenda VanLengen on the call. The game also can be heard on the Varsity Network app, with Andrew Caridi on the call. Live stats and game notes will be available on WVUsports.com.

West Virginia is 16-6 all time against Kansas, including 8-3 in games played in Lawrence. WVU has won 13 of the past 15 meetings with the Jayhawks dating back to Feb. 10, 2015. That includes 10 consecutive unbeaten matchups from Feb. 10, 2015, to Feb. 27, 2021.

Last season, Kansas claimed both contests, beginning with a 65-47 win in Morgantown before recording a 74-63 victory in Lawrence.

Kansas enters Wednesday’s matchup with an overall record of 12-4 and a 2-3 mark in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are coming off a pair of losses last week, with their most recent defeat coming to then-No. 19 Oklahoma, 74-80, on Saturday.

West Virginia is coming off a big, 74-65 win over then-No. 18 Baylor on Sunday inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.

The victory marked the Mountaineers’ first over the Bears since March 6, 2017, when WVU claimed the 2017 Big 12 Tournament title. The win also was West Virginia’s first win over Baylor at home in program history.

Sophomore guard JJ Quinerly (18), fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith (16), senior guard Jayla Hemingway (16) and junior forward Kylee Blacksten (15) all finished in double figures to lead the Mountaineers to the upset win.

Hemingway recorded her second double-double of the season, posting 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds.

Entering Wednesday’s contest, West Virginia leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense as it is holding opponents to just 56.3 points per game this season. WVU ranks No. 31 nationally in the category.

The Mountaineers also lead the league in turnover margin (8.12) and steals per game (10.7). Additionally, the Mountaineers are second in the league in turnovers forced per game (20.88).

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) — Maybe Kevin McCullar of Kansas was just trying to be politically correct when he spoke out in the aftermath of a 76-62 victory over West Virginia in the Coliseum on Saturday evening.

He'd been asked about the Big 12, about teams being 3-0, as his Kansas team was after he spent 38 minutes and 5 seconds on the floor seeing that they remained unbeaten in the league while scoring what was supposed to be a tough road adventure, and about teams like West Virginia and Baylor, the conference preseason favorite and defending national champion, being 0-3.

McCullar wasn't going to rock any boats at the moment, as he knew the season was still in its infancy and there would be future engagements with both teams.

"It really comes down to one or two plays in this league," McCullar said after he had scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a game that hardly turned on one or two plays.

Still, this was his story and he was going to tell it that way.

"The difference between 0-3, 1-2 or 2-1 comes down to a couple of plays," he said. "Everybody is a great team. If you look at the NET rankings, the Big 12 is up there with everybody. It's the best conference in America, and it's a blessing to play in it every night."

Now he might get some argument from West Virginia players, who were 10-2 before starting league play with an 0-3 record, and Baylor probably isn't feeling really great about its situation at 0-3 either.

In fact, when they come to the coliseum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday they set up the "Battle for the Basement", one team will finish the night at 1-3 in conference play and the other 0-4.

And it is dollars to donuts that you won't hear the word blessing from the locker room of the 0-4 team after the game.

Now the Big 12 has never really been a blessing to WVU. Since entering the league, they are 90-92 in regular season league play.

And the last 20 games against Big 12 teams -- this does include last year's conference tournament -- WVU is 3-17.

This does not happen when a play or two is turning games around. It's not a bad pass or a missed layup or a bad call or bad bounce the ball that is beating West Virginia.

It isn't the other team that is beating West Virginia.

The Mountaineers are beating themselves.

And it's not unexpected. You can say that Baylor's poor performance is, having been selected the favorite in the preseason poll, but WVU was picked to finish ninth.

You can say it's a play or two that is beating the Bears. They lost to No. 17 TCU, 88-87, and to No. 11 Kansas State, 97-95, in overtime.

You want something to blame with Baylor's failures? Point to the defense.

But WVU, as we said, has lacked in so many areas. It hasn't shot free throws well. It hasn't rebounded well. It hasn't shot from the floor well.

Against Kansas they shot the ball as though they were wearing blindfolds ... Erik Stevenson 4 for 19, Joe Toussaint 2 of 10. They shot 35.1 percent for the game, that coming on the heels of shooting 36.5% at Oklahoma State.

Last three games WVU has shot 22.2%, 27.8% and 20% from 3.

And with that, coach Bob Huggins biggest complaint has been their inability to score near the basket, saying "We seemingly miss more two-footers than any team in American history."

In the KU game they made 11 of 22 from within 3 feet of the basket; that while Kansas was making 11 of 24 from 3-point range.

Huggins is hoping to have his point guard, Kedrian Johnson, back for the Baylor game after missing Kansas with a concussion, and promises to play James Okonkwo more after he led WVU with six rebounds and had two of their three blocks in a strong performance against the Jayhawks.

Jan. 9, 2010 — In the annual “Bathtub” Brawl at the Natatorium, Vic Riggs’ swim teams, both men and women, defeated the Pitt Panthers. The men prevailed 154.5-145.5, and the women dominated their opponents 165-133. It was an especially noteworthy victory for the WVU senior ladies, as it was their first-ever win over Pitt.

Jan. 10, 1925 — In an era when scoring 40 points meant victory in most college basketball games, WVU Sports Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2009) Fred Graham of Morgantown scored a career-high nine points in a 34-22 Mountaineer loss to Allegheny. The football and basketball letterman (1921-25), member of the 1919-29 all-decade Mountaineer gridiron team and first-team All-American (1924) went on to play on Sundays for the NFL’s Frankford (Pa.) Yellow Jackets and the AFL’s Providence Steam Rollers.

Jan. 11, 1960 — Senior forward Jerry West scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in West Virginia’s 94-74 home win over Southern Conference opponent William & Mary. The victory was WVU’s 44th consecutive in the league (a streak that began on Feb. 11, 1956 with an 84-62 triumph over Virginia Tech), an NCAA record at the time. Fred Schaus’ last Mountaineer squad (26-5) would go on to win its sixth consecutive conference postseason tournament but lose a second round NCAA Tournament match-up, 82-81, with NYU in Charlotte.

Jan. 12, 2008 — Freshman Brandi Eskew shot a school-record 589 in the air rifle competition, and Natasha Dinsmore shot a personal-best 566 in smallbore, while Paul Miller tied a career-high with a score of 579 in the same event, as the Mountaineer rifle team prevailed over Nebraska 4615-4599 in Morgantown.

Jan. 13, 1968 — All-American Ron “Fritz” Williams scored 30 points in WVU’s 89-86 overtime triumph over league foe Davidson at the Field House in Morgantown (where West Virginia had a perfect 10-0 record that season). Bucky Waters’ third Mountaineer squad (19-9) finished the campaign as the runner-up in the Southern Conference Tournament after losing the league tourney championship game to Davidson, 87-70.

Jan. 14, 2006 — Mike Carey’s WVU’s women’s basketball team held the Hoyas to 35-percent shooting and prevailed 65-54 over Georgetown at the Coliseum before a crowd of 2,837 spectators. Meg Bulger (16 points in 23 minutes), Olayinka Sanni (14 points) and LaQuita Owens (14 points) were high scorers for West Virginia.

Jan. 15, 1951 — In Red Brown’s first of four seasons (72-31) as WVU’s basketball coach, the Mountaineers broke a three-game road losing streak by defeating North Carolina 62-49 at Chapel Hill. Brown’s squad would end this campaign with 18 victories in 27 games and a second-place finish in the Southern Conference.