Assuming the team can avoid weather related travel delays they will face WVU in Morgantown Wednesday at 6PM. WVU comes in with a 5-3 conference record, tied for fourth place. The Mountaineers need a win in order to avoid falling two games back in the loss column. Texas needs a win to remain in first place. The game will be available on ESPN+.
The Hillbillies started conference play with two of their three losses, one to OU Sux and one on the road in Ames. They bounced back beat KSU on the road, then they came home for two wins, first throttling TCU by 30 points before also knocking off Baylor. The third loss came on the road to Kansas. Since then, they have beaten both Tech and TCU. It isn’t a bad record, but their best win of the season is at home against Baylor, currently unranked and receiving one lonely vote in this week’s AP rankings. Their only non-conference opportunity for a quality win was against #15 NC State in Cancun where they lost 40-78.
Texas enters on a 3-game winning streak and is looking to demonstrate the consistency which has eluded them this season. Texas defeated then #24 Baylor on the road before coming home to sweep the state of Oklahoma. Then #14 OU Sux was first before avenging a prior road loss to Okie Lite. Texas had more trouble with the game clock than any of those opponents.
But this is a team that has struggled on the road. The Baylor win followed an almost inexplicable loss in Lubbock. Their prior conference loss came on the road in Stillwater. Texas is 2-3 in true road games, 2-2 in neutral site contests. (I know injuries are part of that, but they could have won some of those with better play.)
WVU is led by 5-8 sophomore guard Ja’Naiya Quinerly who averages 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2 steals per game in conference play. 5th year senior 5-5 guard Madisen Smith follows with 12.8 points, and 4.4 assists. As a team they are much less likely to hurt Texas with 3s, hitting only 28.8% in conference. However they do have 57 made 3-pt baskets, compared to only 40 for Texas – even though they have played one less game. So, they do tend to throw them up there. Hopefully they don’t start hitting them in this game. WVU should have trouble matching the size Texas will bring inside. Only one WVU player in their top eight is taller than 6-1 while Texas has three at 6-4 and another at 6-2.
Texas 5-10 senior guard Shaylee Gonzales is averaging 13.9 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in conference play. (Remember earlier this season when people were saying that she should never see the floor again when she was forced to play out of position at PG?) Sophomore 5-6 PG Rori Harmon contributes 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.1 steals in 38.9 minutes per game. Surging forward Taylor Jones has seen her minutes increase and now averages 9.4 points per contest, and 15 per game over this 3-game streak. She just needs to add some consistency on the defensive end.
Texas is leading the conference in offensive rebounds at 14.7 per game.
Texas is second in the B12 in rebound margin at +6.6 while WVU is last at -7.8.
WVU leads the league in TO margin at +5.25. Texas is second with an average of +3.78.
This is a game that Texas should win. But it is still a conference road game, and nothing is really safe once the banjos start playing.
Hook’em
@LH817 @mln59 @DrHorn98 @wb3032 @BrownHorn
The Hillbillies started conference play with two of their three losses, one to OU Sux and one on the road in Ames. They bounced back beat KSU on the road, then they came home for two wins, first throttling TCU by 30 points before also knocking off Baylor. The third loss came on the road to Kansas. Since then, they have beaten both Tech and TCU. It isn’t a bad record, but their best win of the season is at home against Baylor, currently unranked and receiving one lonely vote in this week’s AP rankings. Their only non-conference opportunity for a quality win was against #15 NC State in Cancun where they lost 40-78.
Texas enters on a 3-game winning streak and is looking to demonstrate the consistency which has eluded them this season. Texas defeated then #24 Baylor on the road before coming home to sweep the state of Oklahoma. Then #14 OU Sux was first before avenging a prior road loss to Okie Lite. Texas had more trouble with the game clock than any of those opponents.
But this is a team that has struggled on the road. The Baylor win followed an almost inexplicable loss in Lubbock. Their prior conference loss came on the road in Stillwater. Texas is 2-3 in true road games, 2-2 in neutral site contests. (I know injuries are part of that, but they could have won some of those with better play.)
WVU is led by 5-8 sophomore guard Ja’Naiya Quinerly who averages 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2 steals per game in conference play. 5th year senior 5-5 guard Madisen Smith follows with 12.8 points, and 4.4 assists. As a team they are much less likely to hurt Texas with 3s, hitting only 28.8% in conference. However they do have 57 made 3-pt baskets, compared to only 40 for Texas – even though they have played one less game. So, they do tend to throw them up there. Hopefully they don’t start hitting them in this game. WVU should have trouble matching the size Texas will bring inside. Only one WVU player in their top eight is taller than 6-1 while Texas has three at 6-4 and another at 6-2.
Texas 5-10 senior guard Shaylee Gonzales is averaging 13.9 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in conference play. (Remember earlier this season when people were saying that she should never see the floor again when she was forced to play out of position at PG?) Sophomore 5-6 PG Rori Harmon contributes 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2.1 steals in 38.9 minutes per game. Surging forward Taylor Jones has seen her minutes increase and now averages 9.4 points per contest, and 15 per game over this 3-game streak. She just needs to add some consistency on the defensive end.
Texas is leading the conference in offensive rebounds at 14.7 per game.
Texas is second in the B12 in rebound margin at +6.6 while WVU is last at -7.8.
WVU leads the league in TO margin at +5.25. Texas is second with an average of +3.78.
This is a game that Texas should win. But it is still a conference road game, and nothing is really safe once the banjos start playing.
Hook’em
| Avg Pts | Avg Pts Allowed | Avg Rbs | Avg RBs Allowed | Avg TOs | Avg TOs Forced | 3PT % | FT% | |
| Texas | 75.3 | 62.0 | 38.6 | 32.0 | 15.1 | 18.9 | 33.6% | 61.6% |
| WVU | 67.8 | 67.1 | 34.1 | 41.9 | 12.8 | 18.0 | 28.8% | 73.2% |
| Texas | CL | Height | Pos | Avg Min | Avg Pts | Avg RBs | Avg Assists | Avg TOs | Avg Steals |
| Shaylee Gonzales | RS-SR | 5-10 | G | 32 | 13.9 | 4.9 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| DeYona Gaston | JR | 6-2 | F | 28.3 | 13.8 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.8 |
| Sonya Morris | SR | 5-10 | G | 25.6 | 12.1 | 2.6 | 2 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
| Rori Harmon | SO | 5-6 | G | 38.9 | 12 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 3.4 | 2.1 |
| Taylor Jones | JR | 6-4 | F | 18.2 | 9.4 | 4.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| Hatti Faye | JR | 6-4 | F | 15.4 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Shay Holle | JR | 6-0 | G | 19.9 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Amina Muhammad | FR | 6-4 | F | 19.8 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| WVU | CL | Height | Pos | Avg Min | Avg Pts | Avg RBs | Avg Assists | Avg TOs | Avg Steals |
| Ja'Naiya Quinerly | SO | 5-8 | G | 30.8 | 18.3 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Madisen Smith | RS-SR | 5-5 | G | 33.6 | 12.8 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Jayla Hemingway | SR | 5-11 | G | 27.5 | 11.1 | 7.3 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Kylee Blacksten | JR | 6-3 | F | 26.5 | 10.3 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Kyah Watson | RS-SO | 5-10 | G | 32.4 | 7.4 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Savannah Samuel | JR | 6-1 | F | 15.6 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Danni Nichols | RS-SR | 5-10 | G | 19.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Tavy Diggs | Sr | 6-1 | F | 8.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
@LH817 @mln59 @DrHorn98 @wb3032 @BrownHorn
