West Virginia Set to Host No. 14 TCU in Search for First Big 12 Win
Morgantown, WV - The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-7) are seeking their first Big 12 Conference win as the TCU Horned Frogs (14-3, 3-2) step inside the WVU Coliseum Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and the action streaming on ESPN+.
TCU snapped a two-game skid with a win over Kansas State on Saturday, marking the first Big 12 loss for the Wildcats this season. The Horned Frogs began the conference slate 2-0 with wins over Baylor and Texas Tech before falling to Iowa State and Texas, climbing to 14th in the latest AP Poll.
“I think it’s the most talented team Jamie’s had since he’s been at TCU. They’re like the Lakers used to be – They’re like the ‘Showtime Lakers’,” said West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. “They do a great job of running lanes. There’s various clips of them rebounding the ball, out letting It and scoring a layup at the other end before the ball ever touched the floor. Jamie has done a good job of making it to an up-tempo style.”
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Guard Mike Miles propels a TCU offense that has averaged 75.8 points (4th in Big 12) in its five conference games. The junior is producing 20.6 ppg (3rd), including a career-high 33 points in the win over Baylor.
“He’s terrific in transition,” Huggins said. “I think he’s a guy who certainly will play in the league because that style of play is sought after and he’s very, very good at it. He’s as good as anybody in the league we have now probably.”
The Horned Frogs are swiping a league-leading 9.8 steals per game during conference action but with risk will sometimes lead to an easy bucket for an opposition as TCU has allowed a league-worst 46.3% shooting from the field. Leading the defensive effort is senior guard Damion Baugh with 2.2 steals per game.
Jan 14, 2023; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Jacob Groves (34) and West Virginia Mountaineers forward Tre Mitchell (3) reach for a loose ball during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center.
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West Virginia has struggled to finish games and in four of the Mountaineers' five losses, they held leads in the later stages of the contests before ultimately falling in the final moments, losing by an average margin of 6.6 ppg.
“We haven’t made crucial plays the way we need to make crucial plays,” said Huggins.
Forward Tre Mitchell is averaging a team-high 15.4 points per game to go with a conference-best 9.0 rebounds per game in league play while guard Joe Toussaint has put up 14 and 20 (Baylor and Oklahoma), respectively, over the last two games.
West Virginia leads the all-time series 17-4, with the Mountaineers winning five of the last seven meetings.
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