West Virginia @ Houston preview
Fertitta Center
Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2024 ) West Virginia 55, Houston 89
No. 10 Houston's top-ranked defense faces a stiff test when it hosts the Big 12's leading scorer, West Virginia's Javon Small, on Wednesday.
Small, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State, paces the Mountaineers' attack at 19.8 points per game. The Cougars limit opponents to 54.2 points per game. They haven't given up more than 57 points during their current eight-game winning streak.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had high praise for Small and said he plays with an attitude that is infectious to the entire West Virginia team.
"He's got swagger," Sampson said. "He's extremely talented. He's right-handed, but can play left or right off the drive. He hits stepback threes. Their team has a great swagger to them and I think they get it from Javon. I think he's just one of the best guards in the country. He scores it at all three levels, he's a great finisher, a 3-point shooter and he gets it in the paint. I love the way Javon plays."
The Cougars (12-3, 4-0 Big 12) are tied with Arizona and Iowa State for first place in the Big 12. Houston went on the road and rolled over Kansas State 87-57 on Saturday.
Houston got its usual balanced scoring effort with five players in double figures, led by Emanuel Sharp's 15-point performance. LJ Cryer and Sharp lead the Cougars in scoring at 14.1 points per game.
West Virginia (12-3, 3-1) beat Colorado 78-70 on Sunday in Boulder behind Small's 26 points. In a season-high 28 minutes, Joseph Yesufu tallied his highest output of 2024-25 with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. The sixth-year senior played his first two collegiate seasons at Drake, when West Virginia coach Darian DeVries was on the sideline for the Bulldogs.
Because he can attack the rim, Yesufu got extended playing time.
"(Joseph) does have great speed," DeVries said. "At that point in the game we needed someone that could get downhill and get to the rim a little more."
Houston's J'Wan Roberts scored his 1,000th point in the win at Kansas State and broke the school record held by Fabian White Jr. (2017-22) for games played. The graduate student has played in 150 games and averages 8.9 ppg and 6.7 rebounds per game this season.
Sampson said Roberts once interrupted his presentation at a youth clinic during his freshman season. Roberts asked about the location of a class, which earned him the nickname of "The Wanderer" from Sampson.
"He's gone from a naive wanderer to an absolute pillar of the program," Sampson said. "When you look back at this era that we are going through right now, you realize the imprint he has in every area. Defense, rebounding, passing and scoring. He's developed all that. That's not who he was."
Joseph Tugler recorded his first career double-double against the Wildcats with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He's started the last eight games for the Cougars but has fouled out twice this season.
"He'll have a lot more (double-doubles) if he stays out of foul trouble," Sampson said. "His production comes from his ability to stay on the floor."
--Field Level Media