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Struggling West Virginia set to take on Texas this evening in Morgantown

Press [F] to pay respects

NCAA Basketball: West Virginia at Texas Tech Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

We, regrettably, have a game tonight.

Since this is the real world and we can’t just choose the option to sim to the end of the season, I guess the show must go on. Fresh off a humiliating 81-50 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock on Monday, the West Virginia Mountaineers (10-13, 2-8 Big 12) return to Morgantown this evening to take on the Texas Longhorns (13-10, 5-5 Big 12).

The last meeting between these two teams ended with a 7 point win for the Longhorns. Can West Virginia bring some of the magic they showed against the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday, or will it be more of the same from the struggling Mountaineers?

In the meantime, enjoy this video from former Smoking Musket editor, John Lowe:

WHEN/WHERE

Date: Saturday, February 9th

Tip-Off Time: 8:00PM EST

Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia

WATCH/LISTEN

TV: ESPN2

Streaming Video: WatchESPN

Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG (Radio Affiliates)

Streaming Audio: Locate the Mountaineers Sports Network from IMG on TuneIn Radio (or the TuneIn app for smartphones)

Satellite Radio: XM 84, Sirius 84

ODDS

Spread: Texas -3.5

O/U: 141

THE ENEMY

Where are they from? Austin, Texas

Series History: Texas leads the all-time series 10-8. West Virginia is 4-2 against the Longhorns in Morgantown with two consecutive wins, including an 86-51 win last season

Last Time: Texas 61, West Virginia 54 on January 5, 2019 in Austin, Texas.

SB Nation Blog: Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival

Record: 13-10 (5-5 Big 12)

Record in 2017-18: 19-14 (8-10 Big 12)

Head Coach: Shaka Smart (4th Season)

NCAA Basketball: Texas at Iowa State Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

(Photo submitted without additional comment)

PROBABLE STARTERS

Based on previous game’s starters

West Virginia

No. Name Pos Ht. Wt. Class Stats
No. Name Pos Ht. Wt. Class Stats
23 Esa Ahmad F 6-8 225 Sr. 12.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg
1 Derek Culver F 6-10 255 Fr. 12.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg
21 Wesley Harris F 6-8 200 Jr. 8.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg
5 Jordan McCabe G 6-10 183 Fr. 2.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg
10 Jermaine Haley G 6-7 215 Jr. 3.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Texas

No. Name Pos Ht. Wt. Class Stats
No. Name Pos Ht. Wt. Class Stats
10 Jaxon Hayes F 6-11 220 Fr. 10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg
21 Dylan Osetkowski F 6-9 250 Sr. 10.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg
2 Matt Coleman III G 6-2 180 So. 10.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg
3 Courtney Ramey G 6-3 185 Fr. 6.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
12 Kerwin Roach II G 6-4 180 Sr. 14.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg

HOW AFRAID SHOULD WE BE (ON A SCALE OF 1-10)?

Ten. I’m not afraid of losing at this point, but rather how we lose. I’ve reached the acceptance stage of grief and have completely written this season off as a total loss. The goal now is to try not to get extremely humiliated by our opponents and try not to lose anyone to an injury that will sideline them next season as well - especially Derek Culver.

PREDICTION THAT WILL BE WRONG

I predict I’ll elect to watch the AAF tonight and have this game on as a second screen option. I’d advise everyone to consider doing the same. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, and you just can’t miss a WVU game, I implore you to go into this game with zero expectations. It’s the key to making sure this team doesn’t continue breaking your heart.

Texas 71, West Virginia 58