West Virginia @ Texas Christian preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2020 ) Texas Christian 49, West Virginia 81

West Virginia owns one of the best defensive squads in the country, but a lack of offensive consistency has been its undoing a bit too often during Big 12 action. Neither was much of an issue in the Mountaineers' rout of TCU last month, and No. 18 West Virginia hopes for a repeat performance Saturday when they visit the offensively challenged Horned Frogs.

The Mountaineers have been KenPom's top-ranked defensive team in terms of efficiency for much of the season - a key part of their 18-4 start - but their inability to top 60 points in any contest during a three-game slide from Feb. 8-15 effectively knocked them out of the race for a Big 12 title. West Virginia wasn't exactly clicking on all cylinders offensively in its last game either - most notably shooting 2-for-16 from 3-point range - but the Mountaineers were able to curb their recent turnover issues in a 65-47 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday. One of West Virginia's most complete performances came in its 81-49 thrashing of TCU on Jan. 14 - a win in which Bob Huggins' squad shot 58 percent, forced 20 turnovers and held the Horned Frogs to 31.8 percent from the field. TCU hasn't been the same since that game, losing nine of 11 overall following Wednesday's 70-56 setback at Texas to ruin a 12-3 start to their season.

TIME: 2 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (19-7, 7-6 Big 12): The Mountaineers' defensive prowess really showed up in the second half Tuesday, holding the Cowboys to 14 points on 5-of-30 from the field after allowing 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting over the opening 20 minutes. Neither Oscar Tshiebwe (11.4 points, 9.4 rebounds) nor Derek Culver (10.1, 8.6) reached double figures, but they combined for 25 of the team's 42 rebounds - including 10 of the team's 14 offensive boards - as West Virginia enjoyed a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points. Miles McBride tallied 11 points - his first double-figure effort in six games - while sophomore Sean McNeil tied the freshman for the team scoring lead with his first double-figure scoring performance in over two months.

ABOUT TCU (14-11, 5-7): The Horned Frogs were unable to repeat their stellar 15-for-33 showing from 3-point range in last Saturday's victory against Kansas State, finishing 3-of-18 beyond the arc versus the Longhorns - including a 0-for-10 effort in the second half. Sophomore center Kevin Samuel (10.2 points, 8.7 rebounds) enjoyed his best game in nearly a month, contributing 11 points and 12 boards to move into a tie with Kansas' Udoka Azubuike for the Big 12 lead with 11 double-doubles. Senior guard Desmond Bane (15.9, 6.3) knocked down at least one 3-pointer for a 16th consecutive game, but none of his team-high 13 points came during TCU's dismal 18-point second half in which the team shot 24 percent.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Huggins can pass Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith (879) and move into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time wins list with a victory Saturday.

2. The Horned Frogs have scored fewer than 60 points eight times in conference play, leading to a league-low scoring average of 57.8 points.

3. The Mountaineers committed only 10 turnovers Tuesday - tied for their second-lowest total of the season.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 68, TCU 54