PREVIEW: West Virginia Meets a Hot Arkansas Team in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge

The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-6) are on the road for the Sec/Big 12 Challenge to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (15-5) Saturday afternoon with tip-off scheduled for two and broadcasting on ESPN2.

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman is in his third year at the helm. In year two, he guided the program to its first top 10 ranking since the 1994-95 season. The Razorbacks climbed to No. 12 earlier in the year until the Oklahoma Sooners went into Fayetteville and grabbed a 22 -point win, the start of a slump, losing five of six games. However, the Razorbacks have turned their season around, coming into the game on a five-game winning streak, including notching road wins at Ole Miss and No. 12 LSU, and got even with Texas A&M in the return game.

“They’re very talented - very athletic,” said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. “They’re playing really well together. I think, defensively, they’re doing a really good job, particularly guarding the pick and roll. I think in college basketball today, I think defensively, that’s what most teams are spending a lot of time doing, shoring up their pick and roll defense.”

Senior guard JD Notae averages an SEC-leading 18.9 points per game, while sophomore forward Jaylin Williams has averaged 14.2 points and 10.3 rebounds in the last six games. Notae also leads the conference in steals, averaging 2.42 per game and Williams is second at 1.6.

“They’re both very good,” said Huggins. “We started watching film of them yesterday. They’re very good in the pick and roll. They don’t need a pick and roll, really - they can score the ball. They’re very talented individuals.”

Along with his offensive output, Williams has picked up his defensive intensity as of late.

“He’s been terrific, and he’s really solidified their pick and roll defense,” said Huggins. “When you can have a big there that can stay in front of guards and change shots at the rim, all the things that he does, that’s a great weapon to have defensively.”

During the five-game winning streak, Arkansas has held its opponents below for an average of 34.6% shooting from the field and 24.4% from three-point range. Huggins credits their athleticism.

“They can make plays the normal human beings can’t make because they’re so athletic,” he said.

West Virginia is amid a four-game skid following an abysmal 72-62 home loss to Oklahoma.

“Our last game, we were probably as bad as we’ve been in arguably seven years. I mean, we were horrible – we just weren’t just bad, we were horrible,” said Huggins. “Our guys realize that, and obviously, you want to get back in good standing, so to speak. We got a lot of respect for Arkansas. It’s a short turn, particularly a short turn when you’ve lost four in a row.”

Huggins stated when the Mountaineers returned to the facilities on Thursday, they didn’t practice. Instead, they discussed the reality of the situation and prepared for the Razorbacks.

“We didn’t really practice yesterday (Thursday). We sat and watched game-film,” said Huggins. “We talked about where we were, why we were where we were. Then, we went out on the floor and walked through some things, but we didn’t do anything yesterday basketball-wise other than look at film. It was more of a mental day, which I needed.”

Arkansas won the only meeting between the two programs in the Old Spice Championship 71-64 in Orlando during the 2006-07 season. The Mountaineers are 2-6 all-time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, while Arkansas is 3-4 with all three wins coming at home.

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