Red Panda to Make Triumphant Return to WVU Coliseum

WVU fans now have another reason to be excited about tonight’s game against Houston. Not only is it a chance for West Virginia to get back on track and secure another win over a top 10 team, but a legend will be making a triumphant return to the Coliseum as well.

As part of the night’s festivities, Red Panda will be performing at halftime in front of what’s expected to be a packed house.

Inside the arena tonight ⤵️

(🟡 Students & Even Sections – 🔵 Odd Sections) https://t.co/cM0TL8VM3P pic.twitter.com/xeZTqGyVpV

— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) January 29, 2025

For a refresher, the embedded video below shows Red Panda in action from a past game.

Red Panda is in the house tonight at ⁦@WVUhoops⁩ Coliseum. Show the kids. 👍🏻😉 pic.twitter.com/lXxdojqV24

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) February 13, 2020

But while Red Panda always delivers, the pressure is now on WVU to show up themselves. And if the Mountaineers are to end their losing skid and topple No. 6 Houston, they cannot afford to have another misstep out of the gates.

“That’s something we’ve talked about this week, the slow starts are tough,” WVU coach Darian DeVries said Tuesday. “When you’re playing a team like Houston, it can be double tough.”

The Cougars have not spent a lot of time trailing this season. Their margin of victory on the season is 21.1 points and they’ve won 12 games in a row.

“When they’re playing with a lead, it’s challenging to try and crawl back into the game because of the way they defend and rebound,” DeVries said.

WVU Basketball Knows They Can’t Afford Another Slow Start vs. Houston

The Mountaineers’ slow starts haven’t been contained to one side of the ball either. Against ASU, WVU made just one of its first 10 shots while the Sun Devils opened 4-9. At KSU it was even worse as the Mountaineers made their first shot then missed their next 11 while the Wildcats made five of their first six.

“We sometimes get frustrated because they’re making shots and we’re not,” said sophomore guard Sincere Harris. “So I think we end up tending to spread away from each other on the defensive side instead of staying packed in and helping each other out.”

As much as WVU would like to get off to a hot start on offense, playing sound defense to slow down Houston is even more important.

“A game in the 80s, we’re probably not winning that one,” DeVries said. “We have to make this a game where every possession is valued more. Possessions are so important, taking care of the ball is so important…Every possession has to be a priority. There’s just not enough of them in the game to overcome it if you don’t.”

The West Virginia Mountaineers 13-6 (4-4, Big 12) welcomes the Houston Cougars 16-3 (8-0, Big 12) in their first trip ever to Morgantown. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+.