Preview: TCU Men's Basketball Looks To Keep the Wins Coming Against West Virginia

TCU (11-10, 4-6) will look to win back-to-back games for the first time since the team beat South Alabama and Montana State in December when it welcomes West Virginia (14-7, 5-5) to Schollmaier Arena on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT.

The Horned Frogs, coming off a 68-57 win over Colorado on Feb. 2, have not won consecutive conference games in almost a full calendar year. Last year, on Feb. 12 and Feb. 17, they took down West Virginia and Kansas State, respectively. As TCU looks to make a late-season push for the bubble, reeling off wins is necessary, and that can start on Wednesday against the Mountaineers.

West Virginia got off to an excellent start to Darian DeVries' tenure as the program's head coach, beginning the season with an 11-2 record. The Mountaineers' hot start included neutral site wins over Arizona and Gonzaga, a home win over Iowa State, and a road win over Kansas.

DeVries deserves credit for the hot start, as he retooled a West Virginia team that went 9-23 last season, but the biggest reason for the Mountaineers' surprising play has been Javon Small. Small, no stranger to the Big 12, transferred to West Virginia from Oklahoma State in the offseason and has gone from a veteran presence to a superstar. Small is averaging 19 points per game on 42.5% shooting and is also contributing 4.7 rebounds per game and 5.1 assists per game. Not only has he been West Virginia's best player, but he has been one of the nation's best all around guards.

West Virginia has cooled off recently, dropping three of its last five matchups, but Small is still averaging 18 points per game in that stretch.

The Mountaineers average just over 69 points per game, and Small contributes 19 of those points on average, meaning he is responsible for about 27% of the team's offensive output. To put it plainly, West Virginia's offense is a one-man show. Tucker DeVries, the son of head coach Darian DeVries, followed his father from Drake and was expected to be the team's most prolific scorer. In eight games, he averaged 14.9 points per game, including a 26-point outburst in West Virginia's win over Arizona. He has been sidelined with an injury since Dec. 10 and was ruled out for the season this week.

Defensively, TCU's main focus should be containing Small. Without his production, the Mountaineers don't score. Perimeter defense will be a key for the Horned Frogs. Frankie Collins' absence makes guarding players like Small more challenging, but Noah Reynolds and Vasean Allette are capable athletes. TCU has struggled with prolific offensive guards at times in Big 12 play, allowing Arizona's Caleb Love to score 33 points and BYU's guard/forward hybrid Richie Saunders to score 26 points. Slowing down Small is a must.

Despite Small's gigantic offensive profile, West Virginia cuts its teeth on the defensive side of things. The Mountaineers are among the nation's best defensively, and put that on display on Sunday when they held Cincinnati to just 50 points. Earlier in the season, they also held the Cyclones, one of the Big 12's best offensives, to just 57 points.

TCU's problem this season has been offensive inefficiency and inconsistency. In the team's last two wins, it has produced 68 and 71 points, while in its three recent losses, it did not score over 61 points. Reynolds has stood out as the team's best scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game, with Allette, averaging 11.1 points per game, following close behind. Brenden Wenzel has given the team a three-point shooting weapon since returning from injury, something the offense desperately needed. True freshman David Punch exploded for 19 points against Colorado and has gotten better every week. Across the board, TCU will need to score if it wants to take down a visiting Mountaineer team looking to get back on track.

How to Watch, Listen and Stream: Colorado vs. TCU

Tipoff - 7 p.m. CT, Sunday, February 5th

Television - ESPN+

Play-By-Play: Ted Emrich
Analyst: Tim Welsh

Radio - : Talk Radio 1190 AM KFXR

Play-By-Play: Brian Estridge
Analyst: Colin Boddicker
Online: Varsity App, GoFrogs.com
SiriusXM: 388

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How to Watch, Listen and Stream: Colorado vs. TCU

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