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No. 7 WVU hoops teams next stop is Texas Tech

MORGANTOWN — Thanks to a season high 22 points from junior guard Daxter Miles Jr., No. 7 ranked West Virginia (12-1 1-0 Big 12) passed its first conference road test of the year with a 92-75 win over Oklahoma State.

Now, veteran head coach Bob Huggins and his Mountaineers take to the airways again as they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face a talented Texas Tech Red Raider squad (11-2, 0-1 Big 12) that features one of the league’s top big men in 6-foot-8, 220 pound forward Zach Smith.

“Everybody else that has played against him (Smith) has said he’s the best player in our conference,” said Huggins. “He is a terrific athlete.”

Smith comes into the Red Raiders’ second Big 12 game of the year averaging 11.8 points and a team leading eight rebounds per game for first year head coach Chris Beard. In addition to his offensive output the junior is also doing it on the defensive end with a team-best 21 blocked shots in 12 games so far this season.

But, while Smith will present some problems to WVU’s ‘bigs’ – senior Brandon Watkins, junior Elijah Macon and freshman Sagaba Konate – the Old Gold and Blue’s constant pressing attack may have a larger effect on the game’s outcome.

“They (Texas Tech) turned the ball over (in their last game) and didn’t shoot the ball as well,” continued WVU’s head coach.

And, if that trend continues today then the hosts will still be looking for conference victory No. 1 when West Virginia heads back to Morgantown to take on TCU in its Big 12 home opener at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We are just trying to put our guys in a position where they can be successful,” added Huggins, who will be looking for career win No. 804.

That means 40 minutes of ‘in-your-face’ defense and an offense that continues to spread the ball around. Seven players scored nine points or more in the victory over OSU. In addition to Miles’ 22, junior guard Jevon Carter chipped in 15, Konate added 12 while senior Nathan Adrian, Watkins, sophomore Esa Ahmad and Lamont West each finished with nine as WVU shot 55 percent (33-of-60) for the game.

Texas Tech is led in scoring by junior guard Keenan Evans’ 13.5 points per game. Senior forward Anthony Livingston (13 ppg), junior guard Justin Gray (9.7) and senior guard Devon Thomas (5.1) round out the Red Raiders’ expected starting lineup.

West Virginia will counter with Adrian (10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Ahmad (12.6) and Watkins (7.6) at the forwards with Carter (10.2), who ranks third in the country in steals per game at 3.1, and Miles (10.7) at the guards.

Watkins gets the call again as Macon (5.4 ppg) is still recovering from a leg injury suffered in WVU’s win over Northern Kentucky. Fans should also expect to see a lot of senior guards Teyvon Myers (8.7) and Tarik Phillips (8.4).

This marks the fourth year in a row that WVU has opened league play with two straight road games. WVU has started with at least a 2-0 league record the last three years, including a 4-0 beginning to Big 12 play last season. But, this also marks the first time that Huggins has elected to bring his team back to campus between games.

“It (the layover) is usually a day or two,” explained Huggins. “What am I going to do with those guys?”

Tech is coming off of a 63-56 loss at Iowa State last Friday, but is 9-0 at United Supermarkets Arena this season.

Contact Jim Butta at mountaineersman@outlook.com

 

In Addition

* This will be the 11th meeting between WVU and TTU with the Mountaineers leading by a 9-1 margin.

* The Mountaineers have won the last six meetings, including an 80-76 win at Tech and 90-68 in Morgantown, last year.

* WVU is 8-0 against Texas Tech in Big 12 regular season games and is 4-0 against Tech in Lubbock.

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