Since the start of January, TCU and West Virginia have been on the same roller coaster ride in the Big 12 Conference.
After the teams opened the month win-loss-win-loss-win, both suffered three-game losing streaks before rebounding with victories on Sunday.
It’s an unusual confluence of nine matching outcomes that will end on Wednesday when West Virginia (14-7, 5-5 Big 12) travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU (11-10, 4-6).
With both at the midway point of their 20-game conference schedules, the teams are feeling more urgency as they have much to do to secure bids for the NCAA Tournament.
“We gotta figure out what’s the best way to prepare for West Virginia because we have to win that one,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “If we can get that one, we’re right there at .500.”
Dixon knows the value of finishing .500 in league play. In gaining berths in the tournament the last three years, the Horned Frogs twice qualified with 9-9 records in the Big 12.
With a rotation loaded with transfers, the Horned Frogs have struggled with cohesion, especially after a season-ending foot injury to senior point guard Frankie Collins in December.
TCU ended its three-game skid on Sunday with a 68-57 victory over Colorado as freshman David Punch scored a career-high 19 points, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts.
The Horned Frogs’ top threats are Josh Reynolds, who is averaging 12.4 points per game, and Vasean Allette (11.1 points), who has taken over at point guard with the injury to Collins.
Also on Sunday, West Virginia snapped its three-game skid with a 63-50 win at Cincinnati. The Mountaineers did it with defense, forcing 14 turnovers and holding the Bearcats to 31.5 percent shooting (17 of 54).
“For us, it has to be our defense, everything starts and ends there,” West Virginia coach Darian DeVries said.
The Mountaineers have relied heavily on Big 12 scoring leader Javon Small (19.0 ppg). Last week, when then-No. 6 Houston swarmed Small and held him to a season-low eight points, West Virginia trailed all the way in a 63-49 loss at home.
But Small responded with 19 points and nine assists against Cincinnati. Helping take the scoring load off Small was Joseph Yesufu, who made all six of his shots, including four triples, to score 16 points.
West Virginia sustained a blow as standout guard Tucker DeVries, son of the coach, will undergo season-ending surgery to repair an upper-body injury. He averaged 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in eight games.
–Field Level Media
