West Virginia @ Iowa State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2020 ) Iowa State 61, West Virginia 76

Earlier this season, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins was talking to his team about what it took to win a national title, but if the Mountaineers don't start winning again, they may not even get the chance come March. West Virginia tries to snap a three-game losing streak and win for just the second time in eight games when it visits Iowa State on Tuesday.

The Mountaineers started conference play 6-3 but have dropped six of their last seven games, including Saturday's 73-62 loss at home to Oklahoma, and are considered to be sitting firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. "I think they understand where we are," Huggins said of his team after the loss. "We need to go to Iowa State and win. We need to come back here and beat Baylor and then we need to go to the conference tournament and win some games." Iowa State lost for the third time in four games after Saturday's 73-61 loss at Oklahoma State when it committed 17 turnovers and never really threatened. West Virginia beat the Cyclones 76-61 on Feb. 5 in Morgantown as Oscar Tshiebwe had 16 points and 10 rebounds to offset 18 points from sophomore Rasir Bolton.

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

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (19-10, 7-9 Big 12): During the Mountaineers' eight-game slump, they are shooting a woeful 36.5 percent from the floor, 22.7 percent beyond the arc and 59 percent from the line. Tshiebwe (11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds) contributed nine points and 10 rebounds as West Virginia once again tried to establish an inside presence with the 6-9 freshman and 6-10 sophomore Derek Culver (five points, eight rebounds against Oklahoma), but those two only managed to deliver just 14 points on a combined 6-of-19 shooting. "We base our game on going inside because we haven't made a shot (from the outside)," Huggins explained. "When you don't make any shots, you'd be awful dumb to keep shooting them and missing them and not trying to at least throw the ball inside to those guys."

ABOUT IOWA STATE (12-17, 5-11): Bolton (14.4 points, 44 3-pointers) scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half Saturday, added six rebounds and tied a career high with four steals against Oklahoma State. Bolton is sixth in conference games in free-throw shooting (83.1 percent) and 10th in 3-point percentage (38.4). The Cyclones are 2-3 since losing sophomore guard Tyrese Haliburton (15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists), who is considered one of the top players in the country and a likely lottery pick in June's draft, for the season with a broken wrist.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Iowa State is shooting 76.1 percent from the foul line in conference play - tops in the conference - and 74.3 percent overall.

2. In the last four games, West Virginia is shooting 15.9 percent beyond the arc.

3. The Cyclones are last in conference games in defensive rating (108 points per 100 possessions), 3-point defense (37.9) and shooting percentage inside the arc (52.2).

PREDICTION: Iowa State 71, West Virginia 67