Texas Christian @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2019 ) Texas Christian 96, West Virginia 104

TCU played Jamie Dixon's trademark stifling defense for 40 minutes in Saturday's 52-40 win over Oklahoma State to accomplish a feat for the first time in over 20 years. Next, the Horned Frogs will travel to No. 17 West Virginia to play another stingy defensive team on Saturday in an attempt to improve to 4-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since joining the conference in 2012.

TCU held the Cowboys to 30.2 percent shooting, including 2-of-19 beyond the arc, to improve to 3-0 in any conference for the first time since going 14-0 in the Western Athletic Conference in 1997-98. The 40 points were the fewest scored by a TCU opponent in a Big 12 game and also the fewest scored by Oklahoma State ever in a conference battle. West Virginia held the Cowboys to 41 points in a 14-point road win on Jan. 6 and shut down Texas Tech 66-54 at home on Saturday, holding the national runner-ups to 30 percent shooting, including 6-of-27 from 3-point range, to overcome 21 turnovers. "When you turn the ball over at an alarming rate, you better guard," said West Virginia coach Huggins, who is just three wins shy of tying legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp for seventh place in NCAA history with 876 victories.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT TCU (12-3, 3-0 Big 12): Desmond Bane (17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists) led the way for TCU on Saturday, recording game highs in points (20), rebounds (nine), assists (six) and steals (three) against Oklahoma State. The senior guard shot 4-of-8 from 3-point range - his fourth consecutive game and the eighth time this season he's shot 50 percent or better beyond the arc - and is averaging 2.8 makes per game at 44 percent in 2019-20. Sophomore center Kevin Samuel (10.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 blocks), who was held scoreless for the second time in his career, swatted three shots to give him multiple blocks in nine of the last 10 games.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (13-2, 2-1): Point guard Miles McBride (10.1 points) scored a season-high 22 points and was part of a Mountaineer bench that outscored the Red Raiders reserves 41-15. Fellow freshman Oscar Tshiebwe (11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds) was held to seven points but grabbed 17 rebounds (five offensive) and blocked four shots. The Mountaineers rank first in the nation in effective field-goal percentage defense (2- and 3-pointers, 39.1 percent), second in defensive efficiency (83.2 points per 100 possessions) and second in 3-point percentage defense (23.3 percent).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 13-2, but the Horned Frogs have won two of the last four. West Virginia F Derek Culver had 22 points and 21 rebounds, while G Jordan McCabe added 25 points, 11 assists and six steals in a 104-96 triple-overtime win in the last meeting on Feb. 26, 2019.

2. Bane passed Lee Nailon (1998-99) and Ryan Carroll (1998-01) to move into eighth place on the TCU all-time scoring list with 1,510 career points.

3. TCU held an opponent under 60 points for the seventh time this season on Saturday, the most of any season in the Dixon era.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 65, TCU 55