WVU Meets Third Straight Ranked Foe in Texas Tech
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West Virginia is still running through the Big 12 gauntlet, and the Mountaineers' next time on the floor isn't expected to challenge them any less.
The Mountaineers take on their third-consecutive ranked opponent on Saturday, hitting the road to take on No. 18 Texas Tech (Noon, ESPN2).
Sitting at 14-4 and 4-2 in the Big 12, the Red Raiders are among the conference's best. Statistically, while they are not the best at much of anything, they place in the top three in categories like scoring margin and rebounding margin.
"They don't have any really small guys," WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. "They have great size, they have great length, and they have terrific athleticism. (Head coach) Mark (Adams) does a terrific job of going out and getting guys. You don't have to go out anymore with the portal, but he's used to bringing guys in and bringing the kind of guys in that he thinks fits their system."
Adams, an experienced head coach outside of the Division I level, was named the Red Raiders' head coach this offseason.
Having spent the previous five seasons as an assistant under Chris Beard, Adams, like many around college basketball, has embraced constructing a roster by way of the transfer portal.
In past years, the Beard regime has procured players such as Kevin Obanor, who leads the team in total rebounds, and Marcus Santos-Silva, a reliable scoring option off the bench. With Beard off to the University of Texas, Adams has continued to hit the portal with extreme enthusiasm.
Look no further than forward Bryson Williams to see the fruit of Texas Tech's efforts. After thriving in Conference USA the past two seasons, the 6-foot-8 super-senior has become the focal point of the Red Raiders' offense after relocating over the summer. He leads the team with 12.6 points per game, and has scored 15 or more points seven times this season.
Defensive efforts have been aided by the addition of Davion Warren, a 6-foot-6 guard who transferred from Hampton. After being named to the All-Big South First Team last year, he leads the Red Raiders this season with 25 steals.
Warren also ranks fourth on the team in scoring. Along with Williams, the pair have both started in each of the team's 18 games to date.
"It's pretty much what Mark's done his whole career," Huggins said. "He's been a junior college coach -- a top-level junior college coach -- that is kind of used to going out and getting guys and bringing guys in that have no experience in his system … He sent a bunch of guys to high-major schools from junior college, which means he's done a terrific job with them."
The Mountaineers (13-4, 2-3 Big 12) will rely on a handful of junior college guys of their own in order to snap the team's current two-game losing streak. Sean McNeil and Taz Sherman, who rank in the top three in the conference in minutes per game, lead WVU in scoring.
Further, the emergence of guard Malik Curry has been a welcome addition, although it has not helped the Mountaineers earn a win. The Old Dominion transfer is averaging 21 points over the last two games, making him another offensive option.
Huggins says taking advantage of scoring opportunities will be one of the critical steps in downing the Red Raiders.
"Certainly, we've got to make shots," Huggins said. "We've got to do a really good job of defending them. They do a great job of spreading you and penetrating with it, so we've got to do a good job of defending them."