West Virginia @ Texas Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) Texas Tech 54, West Virginia 66

Bob Huggins coached teams have always relied on tough defense and offensive rebounding. West Virginia showed both in a rout against Missouri on the Big 12/SEC Challenge and return to conference action Wednesday when the Mountaineers look for their sixth win in seven games at Texas Tech.

West Virginia held the Tigers to 28.3 percent shooting and pounded them on the boards, 50-30, including 21 on the offensive end. Those totals just added to the Mountaineers No.1 rankings in defensive rating (84.8 points/100 possessions) and offensive rebound percentage (40.6), which has led to the 14th best FT/FGA ratio. "That's what we do," Huggins said. "Basically, that's what my teams have always done because it's an emphasis for us and we work at it. You've got to figure out a way to get more shots than your opposition. We did it for a while with pressure and the press and we did it before with (rebounding)." Texas Tech, which lost the earlier matchup with the Mountaineers, is coming off a 76-74 overtime loss to Kentucky which snapped a 54-game non-conference home winning streak.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: No TV

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (16-3, 4-2 Big 12): Jermaine Haley (9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds) and Miles McBride (10.4 points) led a balanced attack against the Tigers with 15 points each while Oscar Tshiebwe (11.8 points, 9.4 rebounds) contributed 14 points and eight rebounds (four offensive). Tshiebwe ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.1) and Derek Culver (10.4 points, 9.4 rebounds) is fourth in the conference (3.0). The Mountaineer defense also leads the country in effective field-goal percentage (2- and 3-pointers, 40.8) and is second in 3-point defense (25.7).

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (12-7, 3-3): Kyler Edwards (12.2 points, 4.6 rebounds) had 18 points and seven rebounds, Davide Moretti (13.1 points, 91 percent free-throw percentage) added 15 points but leading scorer Jahmi'us Ramsey was held to six points on 3-of-9 shooting against Kentucky. Ramsey (14.9 points, 39 percent 3-pointers) is eighth in the Big 12 in scoring and graduate transfer Chris Clarke (7.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists) ranks in the top-10 in both. Edwards is averaging 18.3 points on 57 percent shooting in his last four games while Ramsey is averaging just 9.2 points on 33 percent shooting over his last five.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Tshiebwe had 17 rebounds (six offensive) in the first matchup with the Red Raiders and McBride had 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the 66-54 home victory. Moretti led the Red Raiders by hitting four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points.

2. Huggins has 876 career wins, tied with Kentucky's Adolph Rupp for seventh on the all-time NCAA wins list. "My dad (Charlie Huggins) used to say it just means I'm old," Huggins said.

3. Tech is currently 1-3 against ranked opponents this season with its win coming against then-No. 1 Louisville, 70-57, on Dec. 10.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech 65, West Virginia 61