Stock Up, Stock Down: Evaluations Following West Virginia's Loss to Houston

Analysis of tonight's key performances and phases of the game.

Jan 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) and West Virginia Mountaineers forward DJ Thomas (5) reach for a loose ball in the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Finally, it's over. The West Virginia Mountaineers were blown out by No. 7 Houston on Tuesday night by a 77-48 score.

Now it's time for our usual postgame look at the WVU basketball stock report.

Stock Up: DJ Thomas

I mean, if we're being honest, the true freshman was the ONLY bright spot in the first twenty minutes and saved the Mountaineers from having its worst first half scoring output of possibly all time. Of everyone on the roster, I did not expect Thomas to be the one to play with composure and confidence. He knew he couldn't take his time making a decision when he got the ball and just let it fly.

Stock Down: Backcourt play

This was really one of the first times all season where Honor Huff was truly restricted on the offensive end, and unfortunately, nobody stepped up to help pick up the slack. Jasper Floyd was held scoreless for the second time in three games, and Amir Jenkins was only able to produce four points. Treysen Eaglestaff was the most productive, but he didn't even hit double figures. The next time Huff has a night similar to this, someone has to answer the bell.

Stock Up: Effort

It was there on Saturday against Kansas and in the previous game against Cincinnati, but we learned a lot about this group tonight by how hard they continued to play when things hit the fan right away. They were diving on the floor for loose balls, chasing hard on defense, and competed on the glass. I know no one cares for this kind of stuff, but it shows me that it's going to take a lot to break this team. No, it wasn't pretty, but the effort was still there.

Stock Down: Interior offense

After Harlan Obioha and Brenen Lorient combined for 29 points in the win over Kansas, they produced just eight points tonight. This isn't all about them, though. It's everyone who touched the floor. The only successful offense West Virginia had was shooting the three-ball, connecting on 36%. The ball got stuck way too often, which can be blamed on poor floor spacing and not enough activity. When you're playing an elite defense like Houston's, you need four to five pieces moving at all times. The majority of possessions were eaten up by dribbling, and no help getting out of double teams.

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