MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Mountaineers return to the Hope Coliseum in another Big 12 matchup against No. 19 BYU as regular-season play dwindles.
West Virginia is giving up only 64.5 points per game, ranking ninth in the country. Known for their big defensive presence, the Mountaineers are also second in the Big 12 in scoring defense and fewest fouls per game, coming in at 15.3. Opponents, however, are shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc. That has been West Virginia’s identity all season long.
On the other end, WVU is averaging 69.5 points per game in 43.3 percent shooting and 33.4 percent from three. It may not be flashy at times for the Mountaineers, but it is this balanced attack that has kept them successful.
Leading the team for West Virginia is Honor Huff. Huff averages 15.5 points per game and has knocked down 96 three-pointers, ranking twelfth nationally. He is also eighth among active NCAA players in career scoring with 1,907 points and 388 threes. When the Mountaineers need a play from beyond the arc, they look to number three for the stepback three.
Huff isn’t the only contributing factor to the Mountaineers' success. Chance Moore adds 10 points and 5 rebounds per game, and Harlan Obioha has posted two double-doubles this season. Looking at their bench, the Mountaineers are getting 20 points per game off the bench and a plus-5.0 scoring margin overall.
BYU presents a completely different challenge to the Mountaineers. The Cougars average 85.5 points per game and shoot 48 percent from the field. They also bring in 39 rebounds per game and carry a plus-10.3 scoring margin.
Freshman forward AJ Dybantsa leads the way for the Cougars with 25.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Robert Wright III also adds 18.1 points and 4.9 assists and Keba Keita averages 6.9 rebounds. Statistically speaking during conference play, BYU ranks twenty-second nationally in offensive rebounds per game at 13.1 and twenty-fourth in blocks at 4.8.
BYU is 3-4 on the road in conference play this season, while West Virginia has built its success around protecting and defending its home court.
U92 the Moose will provide live coverage of the game, with assistant sports director Nico Carreto on play-by-play and Conor Roberts as color analyst. Pregame coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. hosted by RJ Rice, with Connor Bratchford, Stella Reyes and Nate Skinner alongside him.
If you want to hear more from the group at the corner of Prospect and Price, also return at halftime and after the final buzzer sounds for a breakdown of all the action.