Utah basketball vs. West Virginia by the numbers

Runnin' Utes and Mountaineers square off at Hope Coliseum on Wednesday

Utah Runnin' Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) heads into Wednesday's matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers shooting 71.3% from inside the arc. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

Coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Cincinnati, Utah looks to get back in the win column for the first time in over a month on Wednesday as it travels down to Morgantown, West Virginia, for a Big 12 matchup with the Mountaineers.

Tipoff from Hope Coliseum between the Runnin' Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) and Mountaineers (16-9, 7-5 Big 12) is set for 6:30 p.m. MT on Fox Sports 1.

Let's take a look at some key figures and numbers for Utah and West Virginia.

By The Numbers

15: Utah's Road Game Losing Streak

Utah has struggled mightily on the road over the past year, to say the least. Its last win in a hostile environment came nearly 400 days ago, when it knocked off TCU in a 73-65 final from January 15, 2025. Since then, the Runnin' Utes have dropped 15 straight true road games, nine of which have come by double-double margins.

A major reason why Alex Jensen's group specifically has endured its share of letdowns on the road is slow starts. In its eight true road games this season, Utah has led at the halftime break once (at Washington in December). More often than not, the Runnin' Utes spend the second half trying to climb out of the hole they dug themselves into during the first 20 minutes of play.

And they aren't always small potholes, either. Utah trailed Colorado 11-1 at the 17-minute mark of their matchup in Boulder on Jan. 7, then fell behind 12-3 to Texas Tech through the first 3 minutes of their bout in Lubbock a week later. It took nearly 7 whole minutes of game play for the Runnin' Utes to make a field goal against their in-state nemesis BYU, when the two faced off Jan. 24 at the Marriott Center.

The point is, If Utah plays catch-up for most of Wednesday's contest against West Virginia — the No. 8 scoring defense in the country — then its road losing streak has a good chance of being extended to 16.

71.3: Keanu Dawes' 2-Point Field Goal Percentage

Utah, having the worst 2-point field goal percentage among Big 12 teams this season, certainly can't be pinned on Keanu Dawes. The versatile 6-foot-7 forward has been quite efficient inside the arc, where he's shooting 71.3% (97-of-136) through 25 games. According to KenPom, only 21 other players in the country are better from 2-point range.

Dawes has been effective while increasing his shot total, too. He's attempted at least 11 field goals in each of the last three games after reaching that threshold just four times in his previous 22 games. Since the start of February, he's 21-of-29 (72.4%) from inside the arc.

West Virginia and its frontcourt featuring 6-foot-9 forward Brenen Lorient (1.3 blocks per game) should pose as one of Dawes' toughest challengers of the season. The Mountaineers rank No. 12 in the country in 2-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 45.4% from inside the arc, and have held their last five opponents to below 50% shooting on 2s.

21.2: Mountaineers' 3-Point Field Goal Percentage in February

Despite rostering one of the top 3-point shooters in the Big 12 in Honor Huff, the Mountaineers as a whole have been inconsistent from behind the arc as of late. West Virginia hasn't knocked down 30% or more of its 3-point attempts in a game since going 11-of-24 from long range against Arizona State on Jan. 21. In the six games that followed, the Mountaineers went a woeful 32-of-131 (24.4%) from downtown.

Huff shouldn't have to shoulder the blame for the Mountaineers' cold shooting, though the 5-foot-10 guard hasn't necessarily been efficient himself. Huff has missed 40 of his last 54 looks from outside the arc and shot 27% from the field overall in his last six games, which admittedly pit West Virginia against some of the best defenses in the Big 12 (Arizona, Cincinnati and Texas Tech, namely).

It's also not Huff's fault that he's the only West Virginia player shooting above 35% from 3 on volume this season.

For Utah, it'll be essential that its guards run Huff off the 3-point line. West Virginia is 5-6 in games in which he makes two or fewer 3s, and 11-3 when he knocks down three or more.

16: West Virginia's Win Streak Over Sub-100 KenPom Teams

Over the past few years, West Virginia has handled its business against teams it's supposed to beat. The Mountaineers haven't lost to a team ranked outside the top 100 in KenPom since falling to No. 117 Oklahoma State, 70-66, on January 27, 2024, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Why is this relevant now? Because Utah is No. 119 on KenPom as of Tuesday and trending toward its worst finish on the website since ending the 2021-22 campaign at No. 122 under Craig Smith.

Combine that with Utah's recent road woes, and the steep hill the Runnin' Utes face in order to knock off the Mountaineers gets even steeper. In fact, West Virginia has lost to just two sub-100 KenPom teams at home since 2013 and boasts an incredible 92-2 record in such instances since joining the Big 12.

That all said, let's take a deeper look into the statistics for both teams.

Utah's Offense vs. West Virginia's Defense

Adjusted efficiency

Utah: 113.9 (No. 92 nationally)
West Virginia: 97.6 (No. 26)

Scoring

Utah: 76.4 points per game (No. 171)
West Virginia: 63.8 points allowed per game (No. 6)

Effective field goal percentage

Utah: 52.1% (No. 148)
West Virginia: 48.3% (No. 55)

3-point field goal percentage

Utah: 35.3% (No. 97)
West Virginia: 35.3% (No. 248)

3-pointers per game

Utah: 8.1 (No. 158)
West Virginia: 7.6 (No. 170)

2-point field goal percentage

Utah: 51.6% (No. 188)
West Virginia: 45.4% (No. 12)

Turnovers per game

Utah: 11.3 (No. 146)
West Virginia: 11.6 (No. 198)

Assist rate

Utah: 50.9% (No. 226)
West Virginia 57.3% (No. 304)

Utah's Defense vs. West Virginia's Offense

Adjusted efficiency

Utah: 109.8 (No. 196)
West Virginia: 111.3 (No. 129)

Scoring

Utah: 79.5 points allowed per game (No. 325)
West Virginia: 70.1 points per game (No. 312)

Effective field goal percentage

Utah: 52.9% (No. 252)
West Virginia: 51.7% (No. 171)

3-point field goal percentage

Utah: 34% (No. 179)
West Virginia: 33.9% (No. 187)

3-pointers per game

Utah: 7.1 (No. 93)
West Virginia: 7.9 (No. 170)

2-point field goal percentage

Utah: 53.8% (No. 268)
West Virginia: 52.3% (No. 158)

Turnovers per game

Utah: 9.7 (No. 336)
West Virginia: 11.1 (No. 128)

Assist rate

Utah: 47.3% (No. 49)
West Virginia: 52.4% (No. 183)

MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS

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