Preview: Tech, WVU to meet midweek

By: Wes Bloomquist

Lubbock, Texas – Texas Tech continues the road in the first round of the Big 12 Gauntlet by hosting West Virginia at United Supermarkets Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The Red Raiders (10-9, 0-7 Big 12) suffered a 68-58 loss at No. 13 Kansas State, while the Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6 Big 12) suffered a 69-61 home loss. to No. 10 Texas during Saturday’s games. Tech, which won both games against WVU last season, is 8-3 at home this season and is averaging 13,367 fans, which ranks 18th nationally and second in the Big 12.

Kevin Obanor He leads the Red Raiders this season with 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game after going for nine points and eight rebounds at KSU. O’Banor played in 56 games over the last two seasons at Tech and 142 games in his career. A fifth-year senior, he has 1,956 career points and 1,008 rebounds. Virginia’s Jayden Gardner and LSU’s KJ Williams are the only active players with over 2,000 points and over 1,000 rebounds. Tech’s first man Pop Isaacs And high De’Vion Harmon He led Tech with 13 points while at KSU. Jaylon Tyson He had eight points and seven rebounds. Tyson was coming off his first two double-doubles against Texas and Baylor. Fardaws Aimaq He had six points and six rebounds in the third game and was sidelined for the first 16 games of the season with a foot injury. Daniel Bacho He is sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding and second with 1.9 blocks per game. He had six points, four rebounds and one block against KSU.

Tech led the Wildcats by a 33-28 halftime margin but are now 0-3 at halftime and 0-7 against opponents in Big 12 games. WVU will be the Red Raiders’ first unseeded opponent in their last four games. Tech, which went 18-0 at home last season with a 9-0 Big 12 mark, was on a 29-game home winning streak before opening Big 12 play with home losses to Kansas, Oklahoma and Baylor.

Isaac is averaging 12.1 points and has made 47 3-pointers on the season, leading Tech with an average of 15.8 points per Big 12 game. He has scored in double figures in a career-best seven straight games and has made 11 3-pointers in the last three games – including hitting five 3-pointers in a 23-point game at Texas. Isaac was 3 for 11 in 3s at KSU, including hitting the halftime buzzer to give Tech a 33-28 lead with 20 minutes left. The Las Vegas freshman is currently 47-for-125 (37.6 percent) on 3-pointers with nine games this season that have made three or more 3-pointers.

Harmon now has 1,158 points in 110 games, while Aymak has 1,086 points and 938 rebounds in 86 career games. Both Harmon and Aimaq are in their first season at Tech after three seasons at other programs – Harmon at Oklahoma (2) and Oregon (1) and Aimaq at Mercer (1) and Utah Valley (2). Aimack averaged 10 points, 0 and 6.7 rebounds in three games at Tech, including 12 points and nine rebounds against Baylor last Tuesday. Harmon turned 22 on Sunday.

WVU is led by Tre Mitchell averaging 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game after transferring from Texas last season, Eric Stevenson is averaging 12.9 points per game and Kedrian Johnson is averaging 10.7 ppg. And leads the team with 57 assists. Emmitt Matthews has four scorers in double figures for WVU with 10.1 ppg. from the starting lineup and Joe Toussaint at 9.9 ppg. 18 games with the bench and one start. Johnson, a fifth-year senior from Dallas, led Texas with 22 points at WVU on Saturday night after making three 3-pointers and seven free throws. He began his career at Temple College before transferring to WVU. Mitchell added eight rebounds and 12 points in 40 minutes of action in the loss to the Longhorns.

WVU leads the all-time series over Tech by a 16-8 margin. Tech swept the series last season, including a 78-65 win at Lubbock on Jan. 22, 2022. The series is 5-5 in its last 10 games and will resume this season on Feb. 18 in Morgantown.

The Red Raiders travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for their final non-conference game of the regular season this weekend in the Big 12-SEC Challenge to play LSU at 1 p.m. at the Maravich Center. Tech defeated the Tigers 76-71 in the last meeting between the two teams on January 30, 2021.