West Virginia traveled south to face the No. 10-ranked Houston Cougars but came up short, falling 70-54 and picking up their second loss in Big 12 play.
Here are my three key takeaways from the Mountaineers’ performance:
Houston Is That Good
After a rocky start to the season, Houston has hit its stride over the past nine games. The Cougars are shooting at impressive percentages across the board, fueled by sharpshooters Emmanuel Sharp and L.J. Cryer, two of the nation’s best from beyond the arc. The win improved Houston’s conference record to 5-0, and the team has yet to lose at home, boasting a 10-game home winning streak this season.
In a previous stat breakdown, I highlighted that WVU needed to contain Houston’s perimeter shooting to have a chance. However, the Mountaineers fell short, allowing the Cougars to shoot 42.6% from 3-point range.
Turnovers Prove Costly
Turnovers were a glaring issue for West Virginia. The Mountaineers committed 12 turnovers, which Houston converted into 25 points. By contrast, WVU managed just nine points off Houston’s turnovers. Against a team of Houston’s caliber, that margin was simply too much to overcome.
The Absence of Tucker DeVries Is Glaring
There have been some key injuries in the early year for the Mountaineers, specifically the absence of Tucker DeVries. It is becoming more noticeable with each game. WVU is still searching for consistent offensive contributors, especially when someone like Javon Small is having an off-night.
West Virginia cut Houston’s lead to three points with 12:46 remaining in the second half, but the offense stalled, producing just two field goals over the final 13 minutes.
While it’s far from time to panic, updates on the status of DeVries — and potentially Jayden Stone — would provide a much-needed boost to WVU fans hoping to see the team return to full strength.
