Now ranked in the top-10, Houston looks to continue their winning ways back at home against a talented West Virginia team. Keep reading for the Houston vs West Virginia prediction.
Game Information:
Teams: Houston (12-3, 4-0) and West Virginia (11-3, 3-1)
Tip-off: 7 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KPRC 950
Latest on West Virginia basketball:
Currently fourth in the Big 12 standings, the Mountaineers have won eight out of their last nine games. The only loss during this period was versus Arizona 76-56 on Jan. 7. West Virginia has had a good season and has been one of the top Big 12 teams thus far. WVU won their last game 78-70 at Colorado this past Sunday where senior guard Javon Small put up 26 points and a game high seven assists.
“Talent, swagger, great ball handler. Their team has a swagger and they get it from Javon. He’s just one of the best guards in the country,” Kelvin Sampson said.
Fifth-year guard Joseph Yesufu added 18 points off the bench as well. Small has been the star for the Mountaineers this season as he leads West Virginia and the Big 12 with 19.8 PPG. The 6’3 senior also leads WVU with five assists and almost two steals per game.
Head coach Darian DeVries is in his first year at West Virginia and seventh season coaching. In his previous six seasons at Drake, DeVries compiled a 150-55 record. This will be the first time DeVries has faced Houston and Kelvin Sampson. His son, senior guard Tucker DeVries is second in scoring on the team with 14.9 PPG. Houston currently has a 1-0 lead all time in the series, which began last season. The Cougars won 89-55 in what was the inaugural big 12 game for the program.
Latest on Houston basketball:
The #10 Cougars have won eight straight games entering this contest. Most recently, UH won at Kansas State on Saturday 87-57. Sophomore forward Joseph Tugler posted his first double double of his career with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Emanuel Sharp led the way in scoring with 15 first half points as five Cougars scored in double digits. Sharp is now the best three point shooter in the country with his 48.8% shooting from downtown. Sharp joins graduate guard LJ Cryer to make Houston the only school with two student-athletes among the top-five of the Big 12 in three-point percentage and three pointers per game.
The UH defense has not allowed their opponent to score more than 57 points in their last eight games. Overall, the Cougars have the best defense in the country, as Houston leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.7%) and scoring defense (54.2 PPG).
“Our defense’s strength is our versatility,” Sampson said.
UH also leads the country in scoring margin at almost 23 points. Offensively, the Cougars are third in three point shooting overall at 41.5%. Junior point guard Milos Uzan also has done well with a 3.65 assist-turnover ratio, 10th in the nation.
[…] basketball has hardly trailed at Fertitta Center during their 32 game home win streak, but West Virginia got out to a great start in a hostile road environment up 18-13 seven minutes in. It was three […]