Score Predictions for West Virginia vs. Texas Tech

We make our picks for Saturday evening's matchup between the Mountaineers and the Red Raiders

The West Virginia Mountaineers (9-19, 4-11) welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders (19-9, 8-7) Saturday evening. Tip-off is set for 6:00 EST and will broadcast on ESPN2. 

Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 78, Texas Tech 74.

West Virginia took me by surprise on their two-game road swing. It wasn't the results they wanted, but I fully expected them to get blown out in Ames and when they fell behind by 25 at K-State, I thought we were headed for another blowout. 

For a team that essentially has nothing to play for, they're still giving maximum effort and with a home crowd behind you it makes things a little easier. All of the pressure is on Texas Tech in this one. They've been sliding since late January and are teetering on tournament bubble.

The Red Raiders' guards are going to give West Virginia fits, but conversely, the Mountaineers have the advantage in the frontcourt.

So yes, I am picking WVU to get the win in what I believe will be the most entertaining game thus far at the Coliseum. 

Christopher Hall: West Virginia 77, Texas Tech 76.

Texas Tech has lost three out of its four games, and a team relying primarily on its starters, fatigue could be settling in from a long season. 

The Red Raiders are a guard driven team led by sophomore Pop Isaacs and former Mountaineer Joe Toussaint. Both guards drive to the basket, which has given this Mountaineer squad trouble throughout the season. Additionally, Toussaint is a menace on defense and provides full court pressure on point guards. 

West Virginia has slowly progressed since returning a full roster. The Mountaineers will have the size advantage, and it's hard to imagine but WVU will have more depth. 

This is a bad matchup for West Virginia, but I think they will be able to counter the Tech's defensive attack. Tech also plays at a slow pace and the Mountaineers can speed them up with their ability to score quickly, putting pressure on the Red Raiders to score on every trip. Furthermore, center Jesse Edwards had a bad outing Monday night in the overtime loss to Kansas State and he will likely bounce back Saturday. 

The Mountaineers grind out a win 77-76.

Joe Toussaint Set to Make Return to WVU

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