Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
HOUSTON – West Virginia upset No. 22 Kansas on Saturday but doesn’t have much time to savor the feat before facing another major task on Tuesday night.
The Mountaineers head to Houston to face the seventh-ranked Cougars at Fertitta Center, looking to build on an 86-75 win over the 22nd-ranked Jayhawks.
WVU enters the contest at 11-5 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, tied for fifth in the league. The Mountaineers have won two straight and three of their last four, with their only recent setback coming in an 80-59 loss at Iowa State on Jan. 2.
Houston, meanwhile, continues to look every bit like a national contender. The Cougars are 15-1 overall and unbeaten in conference play at 3-0 after rolling past Baylor 77-55 on the road Saturday. That victory marked Houston’s ninth consecutive win and extended its Big 12-record road winning streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the country.
Defense remains the Cougars’ foundation. Houston ranks second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60 points per game, and have surrendered more than 70 points only four times all season. Houston also ranks among the nation’s leaders in field goal percentage defense, turnovers forced and 3-point defense, a challenge that will loom large for a WVU offense that relies heavily on perimeter production.
Senior guard Honor Huff leads the Mountaineers at 17.5 points per game and is coming off a 23-point performance against Kansas that included four 3-pointers. Huff, who ranks second nationally with 64 made 3s this season, is closing in on the NCAA’s all-time top 75 in career 3-pointers and will likely draw extra attention from Houston’s disciplined defense.
The Mountaineers have gotten consistent secondary scoring from senior guard Chance Moore and senior forward Brenen Lorient, while Treysen Eaglestaff has found a rhythm from deep in recent games. Eaglestaff is averaging 12.7 points and shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc over his last four outings, including a late 3-pointer that helped seal a road win at Cincinnati.
WVU is solid defensively, allowing 62.3 points per game, second-best in the Big 12. Still, they’ll be tested by the Cougars, who average 77.3 points per contest and has been dominant at home.
Houston is 8-0 inside Fertitta Center this season and has won 46 of their last 47 home games. Tuesday’s matchup also marks the 400th game of Kelvin Sampson’s tenure with the team, where he has compiled a 314-85 record and turned the Cougars into a perennial national power.
Houston owns a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a pair of wins over the Mountaineers at the Fertitta Center. The Cougars defeated WVU 63-49 in Morgantown last season and have held the Mountaineers to 54 points or fewer in two of the three meetings.
WVU will be making its third trip to Houston in as many seasons, still searching for its first road win of the year. With both teams ranking among the league’s best defensively, Tuesday’s contest figures to be physical and tightly contested.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EST with the game airing nationally on FS1.
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks- All Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
