Two very impressive ranked teams face off in what should be a 40-minute battle. The BIG 12 is absolutely filled with talent as eight out of the ten teams within the conference have a record of 7-3 or better. Texas 9-1 SU (5-5 ATS) is well on pace to have their best season in over a decade. 9-3 SU (6-6 ATS) West Virginia isn’t far behind as they are coming off what may be the comeback game of the year so far in the BIG 12 on the road against Oklahoma.
- Date/Time: January 9, 1 p.m. ET
- Arena: WVU Coliseum
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: WVU -1 | O/U 142 (Line History)
- Texas vs West Virginia Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Shaka Smart and the 9-1 Texas Longhorns travel north to take on Bob Huggins and his 9-3 West Virginia squad. This game opened at Texas -1 as they look to stay undefeated in BIG 12 play. In what may be a trap game for the Longhorns, West Virginia is looking to build off a 19 point deficit comeback just last Monday. Both teams are deadlocked at .500 against the spread. The total for this contest opened at 139 and has risen by two points since looking to close at 141.
Texas Longhorns News & Notes
Entering season number six for Shaka Smart, this Longhorns team has tremendous pressure as he has cultivated a starting lineup of ALL top 50 nationally ranked high school recruits. This team is led by Senior Matt Coleman who leads the entire conference in minutes per game at 35.7. Surrounding Coleman, the roster is loaded with a balanced attack of three other players that average within 1.5 points of each other.
Most impressively maybe freshman 6-foot-9 forward Greg Brown, who leads this team in points per 40 minutes at 23.6. Examining the defensive side of the ball, Shaka Smart continues to preach a defense-first mindset as they rank well inside the top 50 defensively in points per game, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Texas looks to continue their most impressive start since the 2010-2011 campaign when their AP high was #3 in the Country.
West Virginia Mountaineers News & Notes
Bob Huggins' Mountaineers look to stay undefeated at home Saturday afternoon. This team relies heavily on their vets led by Miles McBride, (Sophomore) and Derek Culver (Junior) who rank 5th and 12th respectively in points per game within the BIG 12. Even 12 games into the season, not one Freshman is in the top seven on the roster in scoring.
The Mountaineers continue to rely heavily on Senior Taz Sherman who may be the most improved player in the Big 12. Sherman is averaging 12 points per game, a major improvement from last year’s 5.3 scoring average. This West Virginia team has taken a step back offensively this season ranking outside the top 125 in points per game, along with a dreadful field goal percentage of 41.82% which is good for 269th in the country.
Betting Pick: UNDER 142
This is another clear primetime nationally televised UNDER spot. Look for a possible repeat of last year's matchup which resulted in 124 total points. Texas will grind deep into the shot clock each possession dictating the methodical tempo. The pace just won’t be there for either team to consistently score and maintain any rhythm.
- WVU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 home games.
- WVU is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on a Saturday.
- Texas is 12-4-1 ATS in its last 17 games vs WVU.
