West Virginia men’s basketball returns from their bye week as they face Texas in Austin on Saturday afternoon.
The Mountaineers won the first matchup, 76-73 in Morgantown on Jan. 13, with tip-off for Saturday set for 3:00 p.m.
Our staff gives their predictions:
Wesley Shoemaker: West Virginia will have Jesse Edwards this go around against the Horns, but the biggest key is how do the Mountaineers play away from home. Texas is in need of a win for their NCAA Tournament hopes, while the Mountaineers are just trying to find their chemistry. I think the week off can be both a positive or negative. Seeing how they flow early will be something to watch. Overall though, it’s hard to pick this team to win away from home until they prove they can do such a thing. With that, I think Texas holds serve at home.
Texas 79, West Virginia 68
Patrick Reneau: Coming off a loss to BYU, WVU got a week long break before a road trip in Texas. A late comeback against BYU was halted and the mountaineers fell. With their next game against Texas on the road, WVU could use a win, but I don’t see it happening. Despite beating Texas at home last month, WVU plays like a completely different team when they go on the road. I think WVU will be able to keep it close behind the great guard play we have been seeing from Kerr Kriisa as of late and with Jesse Edwards down low, but this team isn’t able to close out on the road and I don’t see Saturday being much different.
Texas 74, West Virginia 67
Ryan Roddy: After a week off from game-action, West Virginia travels to Texas to kickoff a two game road trip. The Mountaineers have had clear struggles on the road as they have yet to win a game away or at a neutral site. However, WVU defeated the Longhorns on Jan. 13, by a slim margin with a score of 76-73. Texas’ Max Abmas scored 32 points in that game and could give West Virginia problems on Saturday. Jesse Edwards did not play in the game against the Longhorns in January and has played well since returning from injury.
Texas 81, West Virginia 70
