American @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 1, 2010 ) American U. 50, West Virginia 71

No. 10 West Virginia did not enjoy its trip to Germany -- and will look to get right on on more-familiar soil as it hosts American on Wednesday night. The Mountaineers were soundly outplayed for most of the game as they dropped an 88-65 decision to Texas A&M on Saturday at Ramstein Air Base.

An early 13-point lead provided the lone highlight of the game for West Virginia, which couldn't mount much of anything on offense after the Aggies switched to a zone defense and yielded a 19-2 run spanning the first and second half that ultimately decided the Mountaineers' fate. Considered one of the top rebounding units in the Big 12, West Virginia lost the battle of the boards 47-35 to Texas A&M while shooting a dismal 34.3 percent from the field. But it wasn't all doom and gloom for West Virginia, as sophomore guard James Bolden poured in a game-high 19 points in 24 minutes off the bench and could find himself in a similarly critical role moving forward. American is coming off an 83-45 drubbing at the hands of Kansas State in its opener.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T Sportsnet

ABOUT AMERICAN (0-1): The Eagles have a truly unforgiving early-season schedule, with seven of their first eight games on the road. Their first contest of that stretch was a forgettable oneas American shot just over 30 percent from the field while committing 18 turnovers and getting outrebounded by a 41-23 margin. Larry Motuzis led the way for the Eagles with 17 points in his first game with the school as the third-year guard sat out all of last season due to transfer rules after making 30 starts as a sophomore for Saint Xavier of the NAIA.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (1-0): The Mountaineers fell to 186-20 in the Bob Huggins era when leading by double digits at any point in the game, and they'll lament their missed opportunities if this result comes back to haunt them. Known for being a strong trapping team that is formidable on the offensive glass, West Virginia had just 15 points off turnovers while producing only nine second-chance points against the Aggies -- two areas they'll look to improve on Wednesday. Getting to the line more often will also be a priority; after leading the Big 12 with 24.5 free throw attempts per game last season, they had just nine vs. Texas A&M.

TIP-INS

1. West Virginia is 91-6 at home vs. non-conference opponents over the past 14 years.

2. Mountaineers F Esa Ahmad, who averaged 11.3 points last season, will sit out the first half of the season after failing to meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

3. Motuzis led Saint Xavier in scoring (20.7) in 2015-16.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 95, American 55