Boston U @ West Virginia preview

West Virginia is off to its first 3-0 start in three seasons, but the Mountaineers will have their hands full Friday when Boston University visits in a campus game as part of the Cancun Challenge. The Terriers posted their first-ever win over a SEC team this week and will try for a first triumph against a school from the Big 12.

Boston junior Javante McCoy netted a team-high 17 points to along with seven rebounds and five assists, and sophomore Jonas Harper added 13 points as the Terriers knocked off South Carolina 78-70 on Tuesday after holding the Gamecocks to 40 percent shooting. The victory marked the Terriers' first win over a Power Five opponent since the 2013-14 season when they topped Maryland - then in the ACC - by a score of 83-77 on the road. "This is a great game for us because we had to be tough. We couldn't walk in here and even think about competing with them without being tough," Boston coach Joe Jones said afterward. West Virginia's Jermaine Haley had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Derek Culver came off the bench to score 13 second-half points and the defense held Northern Colorado to 38 percent shooting in Monday's 69-61 victory.

TV: 7 p.m. No TV

ABOUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY (3-2): Harper (8.0 points) drained three 3-pointers, Alex Vilarino (9.2) added 12 points, six assists and five rebounds and Walter Whyte (16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 13 3-pointers) contributed eight points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block. South Carolina held its first three opponents to 29.1 percent shooting while forcing 20.7 turnovers, but the Terriers were able to shoot 42 percent while committing just 11 turnovers. Senior forward Max Mahoney provides the glue, averaging 11.2 points, seven rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (3-0): Haley shot 7-of-10 from the floor and Culver sank 7-of-8 free throws to improve to 17-for-19 on the season (58.5 percent shooter last season) but didn't start due to a "coach's decision," and the Mountaineers withstood a five-minute dry spell midway through the second half. "There are going to be spots in the game when you don't make shots and we had pretty good shots in the second half and didn't make them," Huggins said afterward. ... "When you go through a spell when you can't make a shot and you have a (Culver) 6-foot-10, 260-pounder, you just throw it to him. Haley is averaging a team-high 12.7 points on 74 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals, while Emmitt Matthews Jr. is chipping in 12 points per game and Culver is averaging 11 points and six boards.

TIP-INS

1. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 2-0. A Jerry West-led West Virginia team beat Boston 86-82 in the 1959 Elite Eight.

2. West Virginia freshman F Oscar Thsiebwe, who scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against Pitt in the previous game and was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, had just four points and seven boards in 19 minutes against Northern Colorado.

3. Haley is one of seven players in the country and the only one in the Big 12 averaging at least 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals per game.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 74, Boston University 63