Who’s Playing
West Virginia Mountaineers @ Houston Cougars
Current Records: West Virginia 12-3, Houston 12-3
How To Watch
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Big 12 matchup on schedule as the Houston Cougars and the West Virginia Mountaineers are set to tip at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Fertitta Center. The Cougars will be looking to keep their 26-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Last Saturday, Houston blew past Kansas State, posting an 87-57 win. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matches by 19 points or more this season.
Houston’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Emanuel Sharp led the charge by going 5 for 8 en route to 15 points plus three steals. Joseph Tugler was another key player, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Houston smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
West Virginia’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They walked away with a 78-70 victory over Colorado on Sunday.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead West Virginia to victory, but perhaps none more so than Javon Small, who earned 26 points plus seven assists. Small had some trouble finding his footing against Arizona on Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction. Another player making a difference was Eduardo Andre, who made all 5 shots he took racking up 12 points plus four steals.
Houston is on a roll lately: they’ve won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season. As for West Virginia, their win bumped their record up to an identical 12-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday’s contest: Houston has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 8.9 threes per game. However, it’s not like West Virginia struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 9.8. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Houston against West Virginia in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the squad secured an 89-55 victory. In that match, Houston amassed a halftime lead of 48-22, an impressive feat they’ll look to repeat on Wednesday.
Series History
Houston won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.
- Jan 06, 2024 – Houston 89 vs. West Virginia 55
