Field Level Media
20 Jan 2020, 01:25 GMT+10
The travails and challenges of playing on the road in the Big 12 Conference caught up with No. 12 West Virginia on Saturday, and the Mountaineers will look to rebound when they host Texas on Monday in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Both teams head to Monday's game after losses - the Mountaineers werewaylaid on the road by Kansas State 84-68 while Texas dropped a 66-57 decision at home to No. 6 Kansas.
The surprise of the two was West Virginia's defeat. The Mountaineers were plagued by turnovers, poor shooting and even worse defense and, according to coach Bob Huggins, were just not ready to play.
"We weren't ready Friday and we weren't ready Saturday," Huggins said on his postgame radio show. "It's so much a mental game. All the talk in the media around here was that Kansas State was desperate and 0-4 in the league. Our guys weren't desperate. They came in and just took it to us to start."
For West Virginia (14-3, 3-2 Big 12), it was without a doubt the worst performance of the season. The Mountaineers turned the ball over 18 times on Saturday and nine different West Virginia players had at least one, led by three each from starters Jordan McCabe, Jermaine Haley and Emmitt Matthews.
Chase Harler and Miles McBride each scored 11 to lead the Mountaineers while Gabe Osabuohien scored a season-high 10 points in the loss. West Virginia's highly touted front court was mostly held in check with forward Derek Culver finishing with 8 points and 3 rebounds, with freshman forward Oscar Tshiebwe scored 8 and grabbed 7 boards.
The Longhorns faltered in the end game and it cost them Saturday. Texas and Kansas were tied at 54 with 4:48 to play before the Jayhawks took over, scoring eight straight points.
"As a collective group we let go of the rope," Texas guard Courtney Ramey said. "We had a chance to win but they just made more plays than we did down the stretch. We got a little stagnant and took some tougher shots than we should have."
Jericho Sims scored a career-high 20 points for Texas (12-5, 2-3), with Matt Coleman III adding 10 points in the loss. The Longhorns had a two-game win streak snapped.
"Like all losses, there are things I could have done better to help us win," Sims said. "I've just been trying to grow and improve and my teammates have been helping me with that."
Texas carried a 31-26 lead to halftime thanks to a strong defensive effort that held the Jayhawks to just nine points over the final 12 minutes of the half.
"We had the advantage in aggressiveness in the first half and we built a lead, but we wanted to extend it even more," Texas coach Shaka Smart said. "The way we defended, we needed to have a bigger lead. We had the opportunities."
The Longhorns lead the all-time series with West Virginia 11-8 and won both of the games played between the two teams last season, including an impressive 75-53 victory in Morgantown.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Austin Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Austin Globe.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
(Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images) Hunter Goodman scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, and the...
(Photo credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images) Two teams coming off grueling midweek U.S. Open Cup matches face off Saturday when the...
(250711) -- WASHINGTON, July 11, 2025 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the press before departing for Texas at the...
(Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images) New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon was named to the American League All-Star team...