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OPENING THOUGHTS
Well, that game was a tough one to swallow.
A very good 37 minutes, then...
It was hard to watch, but it wasn’t all bad.
Some of the Twitter reactions were pure gold.
Mood pic.twitter.com/F2QOzQNiAc
— Michael Miller (@mikemillerSBN) February 14, 2017
Can we defer the foul shots and take a 20 second runoff?
— Epipen Virginia (@SmithFire13) February 14, 2017
— Smoking Musket (@SmokingMusket) February 14, 2017
Me after watching whatever the hell just happened in that WVU game pic.twitter.com/qYI6VLePN4
— Robbie Buttermore (@rb__25) February 14, 2017
Your state is flat and ugly. Just remember that.
— Bart (@BartimusPrime19) February 14, 2017
WVU fans today: pic.twitter.com/G0gAcM3ZDz
— Epipen Virginia (@SmithFire13) February 14, 2017
Also, this WVU team has been here before...
...and it worked out fine.
Let us all not forget that the Mountaineers still have the potential to have a great finish and possibly make another deep run in March. Monday’s game in Lawrence shows that this team can compete against any other team in any location.
WHEN/WHERE
Date: Saturday, February 18th
Tip-Off Time: 2:00 PM ET
Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, WV
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Tickets: General Public SOLD OUT ; WVU Students
WATCH/LISTEN
TV: ESPN2
Streaming Video: WatchESPN (or the ESPN app for smartphones)
Radio: WZST Variety 101 (100.9 FM in Morgantown) and the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates)
Streaming Audio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG on TuneIn Radio (or the TuneIn Radio app for smartphones)
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 84
ODDS
Spread: WVU by 11.5
O/U: 143.5
BIG 12 BRACKETOLOGY
| SEED | FIRST ROUND (MAR. 8) | QUARTERFINALS (MAR. 9) | SEMIFINALS (MAR. 10) | CHAMPIONSHIP (MAR. 11) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEED | FIRST ROUND (MAR. 8) | QUARTERFINALS (MAR. 9) | SEMIFINALS (MAR. 10) | CHAMPIONSHIP (MAR. 11) |
| 3 | BYE | TCU | Baylor/Texas Tech/Oklahoma | Kansas/Iowa St/OK State/K-State/Texas |
NCAA BRACKETOLOGY
| MEDIA | SEED | 1ST RD OPPONENT | 2ND RD OPPONENT | LOCATION | REGION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIA | SEED | 1ST RD OPPONENT | 2ND RD OPPONENT | LOCATION | REGION |
| ESPN (Feb. 16) | 4 | Akron | Cincinnati/Illinois St-Seton Hall | Buffalo, N.Y. (Mar. 16 & 18) | San Jose, Calif. (Mar. 23 & 25) |
| CBS (Feb. 17) | 5 | UT Arlington | Cincinnati/Akron | Milwaukee (Mar. 16 & 18) | New York (Mar. 24 & 26) |
| NBC (Feb. 16) | 4 | Vermont | Wisconsin/UNC Wilmington | Buffalo, N.Y. (Mar. 16 & 18) | San Jose, Calif. (Mar. 23 & 25) |
| SB Nation (Feb. 17) | 4 | Akron | Creighton/Wichita State | Milwaukee (Mar. 16 & 18) | New York (Mar. 24 & 26) |
THE ENEMY
Where are they from? Lubbock, Texas
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Series History: WVU leads the series 9-2
Last Time: Texas Tech 77, No. 7 West Virginia 76 in OT on January 3 in Lubbock
SB Nation Blog: Viva The Matadors
Record: 17-9 (5-8 Big 12)
Bracketology:
| MEDIA | SEED | 1ST RD OPPONENT | 2ND RD OPPONENT | LOCATION | REGION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIA | SEED | 1ST RD OPPONENT | 2ND RD OPPONENT | LOCATION | REGION |
| ESPN (Feb. 16) | 2 (NIT) | N/A | N/A | Texas Tech (1st/2nd Rounds) | Georgia Tech (Quarterfinals) |
| CBS (Feb. 17) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| NBC (Feb. 16) | 2 (NIT) | N/A | N/A | Texas Tech (1st/2nd Rounds) | Marquette (Quarterfinals) |
| SB Nation (Feb. 17) | 3 (NIT) | N/A | N/A | Texas Tech (1st Round) | Pitt (2nd Round)/Indiana (Quarterfinals) |
Head Coach: Chris Beard (Is he belly dancing or is it a safety?)
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KEYS TO THE GAME
- Maybe not foul the best free throw shooter...Foul shots killed WVU in the end on Monday. It didn’t help that the Mountaineers kept fouling Frank Mason III (77.1% FT shooting percentage). If you’re going to foul, figure out who the bad shooter is and foul him.
- Niem Stevenson and Kennan Evans. Both of these guys scored over 20 points against both Kansas and Baylor. LOOK OUT!
HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE (ON A SCALE OF 1-10)?
Seven. I’m as afraid of the Red Raiders as I am of being in this relationship (VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED):
PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG
Texas Tech is definitely a dangerous team. At 17-9 and an RPI of 83, the Red Raiders are a long shot for the NCAA Tournament but they’ve been heating up and sweeping West Virginia will do wonders for their tourney output. Expect a close one on Saturday!
West Virginia 73, Texas Tech 69