West Virginia @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 20, 2020 ) Texas 59, West Virginia 97

No. 18 West Virginia pounded Texas 97-59 in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 20. But the Mountaineers shouldn't be overconfident when they travel to Austin on Monday after losing at TCU in overtime on Saturday - a team they beat by 32 points at home in the first get-together.

Like so many of West Virginia's losses, shooting was the main culprit against the Horned Frogs as the Mountaineers converted just 8-of-17 free throws - including five missed foul shots down the stretch - and also connected on just 2-of-17 shots beyond the arc. "This is a game we should have won, but I'm tired of saying that," coach Bob Huggins said. "I'm tired of watching it. It's frustrating." West Virginia got as high as 12th in the national rankings but have lost four of its last five games, although two were to powers Baylor and Kansas. Making a last-ditch effort for postseason consideration, Texas has won two straight after Saturday's 70-59 victory at Kansas State behind a career-high 26 points by Courtney Ramey.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPNU

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (19-8, 7-7): Derek Culver (10.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 56 percent from the foul line), who finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting coming off the bench, missed four of his six free throws Saturday. Taz Sherman (5.3 points) added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but the rest of the starters scored a combined 16 points on 6-of-22 from the floor. Freshman Oscar Tshiebwe (11 points, 9.3 rebounds), who scored one point in 15 minutes, missed a free throw with 1:04 left in regulation that could have given the Mountaineers a 56-55 lead.

ABOUT TEXAS (16-11, 6-8): Ramey (11 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists) shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range and recorded a career-high five steals in 34 minutes. The 6-3 sophomore has averaged 20.7 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 36 minutes over the last three games after scoring 15 total points in his previous three games. Jase Febres (9.3 points, team-high 55 3-pointers) scored 18 points on four 3-pointers and 6-of-6 from the line and Matt Coleman III added 15 points and three 3-pointers in the earlier loss to West Virginia as Texas took 29 of its 53 shots beyond the arc.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Texas is 3-1 at home against the Mountaineers under Shaka Smart. Two of the three wins came against ranked squads, including an 85-78 victory when West Virginia ranked 11th on Feb. 16, 2016, and an 87-79 overtime win when ranked 19th on March 3, 2018.

2. Texas has converted 51.6 percent from the field, including 17-of-34 from 3-point range, over its last two contests. The Longhorns are 6-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

3. In the first meeting, the Mountaineers shot 51 percent from the floor, grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and forced 18 turnovers while holding Texas to 36 percent shooting.

PREDICTION: Texas 64, West Virginia 59