What the ESPN BPI Says About WVU's Chances Against Texas
Getting out to an 0-5 start in Big 12 play isn't ideal, but West Virginia put an end to its skid Wednesday night with a win over No. 14 TCU and now has a chance to really get it going with No. 7 Texas making their way to Morgantown.
The narrative surrounding this Texas team is that they don't play any defense and they just try to outscore everyone. That's such a lazy narrative, in my opinion. Yes, they gave up 116 points (in regulation) to Kansas State but if you throw that game out, they're holding Big 12 opponents to 67.6 points per game.
The key for West Virginia in this one is to keep the Longhorns off the free-throw line. As a team, Texas shoots 74.4% from the stripe. They're a handful to deal with on that end of the floor in the first place, they don't need any help.
West Virginia played arguably its best game defensively in the TCU win by trapping at the top of the key and rotating in the back end. Not sure if that's a strategy that Bob Huggins will deploy in this matchup but it could slow down Texas' ball movement and get them out of rhythm offensively.
According to the ESPN BPI, this one is a toss-up. West Virginia has a 51.8% chance to win while Texas has a 48.2% chance.
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