West Virginia vs. Texas College Basketball Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

By Trevor Lowry

TV Schedule: Tuesday, Feb. 16, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Stadium: Frank Erwin Center

The Big 12 remains wide open, and the Texas Longhorns and West Virginia Mountaineers will take the court next.

If the season ended today, West Virginia would easily be in the dance. Here are three reasons why: (1) The Mountaineers are ranked No. 10, (2) they have a 20-5 record and (3) they are near the top of the Big 12 standings with a 9-3 record.

Once again, if the season ended today, Texas would likely be in. The Longhorns are ranked No. 24, they are 16-9 overall and they carry a 7-5 Big 12 record with them.

In terms of signature wins, which the tournament committee seems to be pretty fond of, both of these teams are doing some serious work.

West Virginia’s signature wins: Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor.

Texas’ signature wins: North Carolina, Iowa State, West Virginia, Baylor.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns enter this game on a low point, as they have lost their last two games in a row. The Mountaineers’ winning streak is at one game.

It’s all in the numbers: West Virginia is averaging 80 points per game and giving up 64.8 PPG. Texas comes in averaging 72.3 PPG and allowing 67.1 PPG.

The Longhorns already took one contest against West Virginia, and that one came on the road. This time around, Texas gets this battle at home.

It has been a wild, wild season, and fans far and wide can probably come to this conclusion: Anything is possible in 2015-16, which means the Big Dance will be wide open.

In terms of Texas basketball, fans can probably also come to this conclusion: Texas has already arrived in the Shaka Smart era — which means bad news for the Mountaineers.

PREDICTION: Mountaineers 72, Longhorns 74

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