West Virginia @ St. John's preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 25, 2012 ) West Virginia 62, St. John's 78

When West Virginia visits St. John's at Madison Square Garden on Saturday in the Big 12/Big East Challenge, fans will see two of the fastest-paced teams in the nation that rely on defense and pounding the offensive boards. The Red Storm are playing their eighth true home game of the season and third of five straight, while the Mountaineers are 7-0 for the first time since 2015-16 and have their longest win streak since a 15-game run Nov. 15, 2017 - Jan. 9, 2018.

“They’re going to get after us and we’re going to get after them,” Red Storm coach Mike Anderson said. “Whoever takes care of the basketball, I think that's a priority. That’s something we really focus on every single day. The careless turnovers.” In its latest tune-up, St. John's jumped to a 22-point lead and rode LJ Figueroa (19 points) as well as Mustapha Heron (17) in a 79-69 win over Saint Peters 79-69 on Tuesday. West Virginia remained unbeaten when Derek Culver came off the bench and scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 86-81 win over Rhode Island on Sunday in a game that wasn't put away until Jermaine Haley converted an inside bucket with 12 seconds left for a three-point lead. "This is a game that we really needed to win," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "To be able to do what we want to do, you can't lose a non-conference game at home."

TV: Noon ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA: (7-0): Culver (11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds) entered the game shooting just 31 percent from the floor but connected on 9-of-17 in the win, while Haley (12.3 points on 68 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds) added 18 on 7-of-9 from the floor and is shooting 71.4 percent on 2-pointers - 39th in the nation and third in the Big 12. Freshman phenom Oscar Tshiebwe (12.3 points, 58 percent shooting) had 11 points and nine rebounds versus the Rams and leads the conference in rebounds (9.7) and offensive rebounds (4.0). Huggins has his team playing its customary great defense: Top-50 in the country in defensive efficiency (91.1), 3-point percentage (28.4) and block percentage (13.2).

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S (7-2): Freshman Julian Champagnie (11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals) had his first double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against the Peacocks, while sophomore Josh Roberts, who added eight rebounds and four blocks, ranks second in the Big East in blocks (2.9) and offensive rebounds (4.0). Heron (team-high 15.0 points, 50 percent on 3-pointers) has been up-and down, scoring 55 points in his first two games, 35 in his last two and 45 in the other five games. St. John’s, which ranks Top 50 in effective field-goal percentage defense (44.4) and turnovers forced percentage (23.2), held Saint Peter’s to 37 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers but allowed the Peacocks to stay around by committing 19 turnovers and allowing 23 offensive boards.

TIP-INS

1. West Virginia leads all-time series 19-15 but has lost last two. Prior to those two defeats, the Mountaineers had won 10 straight.

2. The Mountaineers are playing at their fastest tempo in Huggins’ 13 years (72.2 possessions per 40 minutes), but their offensive efficiency (107 points per 100 possessions) is their lowest since 2013 due to poor shooting beyond the arc (31 percent) and minimal attempts from long-range (26 percent - 340th in Division I.

3. The Red Storm has been outrebounded in each of last two games after winning the battle of boards in the first seven games.

PREDICTION: St. John's 78, West Virginia 72