After getting an uplifting win over No. 11 Iowa State, the West Virginia Mountaineers went down to Texas for a two-game road trip and struggled mightily in the Lone Star state, losing to Texas and Baylor by a combined 46 points.
The road has not been fond to West Virginia, as the Mountaineers have only picked up one conference road win, and that was at Texas Tech on Jan. 25.
Despite the struggles on the road, the Mountaineers have protected home court as of late. WVU has won three straight games at the WVU Coliseum, including two against ranked opponents (Auburn, Iowa State).
In WVU’s three home wins over Auburn, Oklahoma, and Iowa State, the Mountaineers averaged 83 points per game while shooting 46.4% from the field as a team, while also shooting 42.6% from three-point range.
It’s no secret that the Mountaineers like playing in front of the home faithful, but with road opportunities quickly dwindling, the team will need to play with a certain desperation inside the Coliseum.
In a push for the NCAA Tournament, it has been said that seven wins in the daunting Big 12 conference will most likely get West Virginia a bid to the big dance. The Mountaineers currently have four.
Considering the remaining two road games are against No. 5 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse — a place the Mountaineers have not won at during their 10 seasons in the Big 12 conference — and Hilton Coliseum — a place the Cyclones have only lost one game at this season — WVU’s chances of winning games will not be high in their final pair of road games.
When the Mountaineers return home, they will welcome the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. West Virginia picked up its only conference road win against the Red Raiders in late January, and despite some thinking they’d be a bottom-feeder team, Mark Adams’ group has regrouped, beating No. 12 Kansas State and No. 6 Texas in back-to-back games in Lubbock.
The Mountaineers have protected home court against the Red Raiders historically, posting an 8-3 record since joining the Big 12. Beating the Red Raiders will be the first step in making a push for that seven-win mark in conference play.
The next step for Huggins’ Mountaineers will be to take care of business against Oklahoma State just two days after playing Texas Tech. WVU missed its chance at an early conference road win in Stillwater when the Cowboys took down the Mountaineers by seven points in a very winnable game.
Oklahoma State is a team that wasn’t predicted to be overwhelmingly good in the Big 12, but with 16 wins halfway through February and seven conference wins, the Cowboys prove to not be a pushover.
Despite the fact the Pokes are talented and well-coached under Mike Boynton, this is a game WVU will need to take care of business in. The Mountaineers missed an opportunity to steal a quality road win in Stillwater, and now a season split is necessary to make the NCAA Tournament.
After the Mountaineers pull off the road trip of Kansas and Iowa State, they will return to the Coliseum for Senior Day against the No. 12 Kansas State Wildcats.
Assuming the two road games are losses, West Virginia will need to send its seniors off in the right way to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
While finishing the home season with six wins seems difficult in this tough league, it is not out of the question for this West Virginia team, and the past three home games have shown that the Mountaineers are ready to defend the Coliseum no matter how much the conference road schedule may beat them up.
