WVU - Texas Preview: Ten Gallon Hat Visit

Game Day Vitals

• West Virginia Mountaineers (10-6, 2-1 Big XII) vs. Texas Longhorns (12-4, 1-2 Big XII)
• Series Record: 3-2, last loss in 2006 against Durantula
• Location: Oliver Garden (Capacity: 14,000) Morgantown, West Virginia
• Vegas Lines: (-5) for the good guys O/U: 147.5
• Date: January 13th, 2013 at 7:00 pm ET
• Television: ESPNU/WatchESPN
  
• O/U on number of times the Frank Erwin Center has been compared to a ten-gallon hat: 1.5 billion
  
• Radio Affiliates

Opponent Information

• Texas Longhorns (12-4, 1-2 Big XII)
• Head Coach - Rick Barnes, 26th year as head coach, 366–155 with UT
• O/U on number of times you'll hear "TEXAS .... FIGHT": 0
  
• Last Result - Won vs. Texas Tech in Austin 67-64
• Official Texas athletics website
• SBN Texas site - Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival

Game Preview

The (-5) Vegas line in favor of the Mountaineers says a lot about what how the oddsmakers feel about these two teams. Give up five points at home against an #53 RPI team means either Vegas thinks Texas isn't that good, WVU is on the rise, or both. While the case can certainly be made that the Mountaineers have potential, that #53 in the RPI is pretty bloated.  Yes, the Longhorns won in Chapel Hill earlier this year, but that was back when they were #13 in the country. UT only scores 77 points a game and shoots 44% from the field. The Longhorns can be beaten.

All that being said, their strong suit is rebounding where they are #11 nationally. The key defensively will be to body up Cameron Ridley and Jonathan Holmes as much as possible to limit the second chance points. Don't be surprised if Huggs tries to go inside against them more usual to try to force a foul situation in the Longhorn front court.  Texas has given up 80 or more points in regulation five times this season and I'm thinking this one will make for a six pack and a nice win on the road for the Eers.

Prediction: WVU 81, Texas 75