WVU Basketball
WVU Basketball Challenges Houston’s Home Winning Streak

WVU basketball already has one improbable road win under its belt this season, so the question now is, can the Mountaineers get another one?
West Virginia (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) won at Kansas’s Allen Fieldhouse last month and today go into No. 10 Houston’s (12-3, 4-0) Fertitta Center for an 8 p.m. tipoff (ESPN+).
The Cougars have won 31 straight games on their home court, with their last loss coming almost two full years ago on Jan. 22, 2022. It was a one-point loss to Temple as Houston was still a member of the American Athletic Conference. Houston is 9-0 at home so far this season, beating opponents by an average of 34.1 points.
The Cougars aren’t overconfident in themselves, however, as head coach Kelvin Sampson said he respects this West Virginia team, led by Big 12 leading scorer Javon Small.
“Their team has a great swagger to them, and I think they get it from Javon,” Sampson said on Monday. “He’s just one of the best guards in the country.”
Small leads the conference averaging 19.8 points per game. He had 26 points and seven assists in the Mountaineers’ win over Colorado on Sunday.
“That’s a good team, an extremely well-coached team,” Sampson said. “I really love the way Javon plays.”
The Cougars are led L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, both averaging 14.1 points. J’Wan Roberts is Houston’s top rebounder, averaging 6.7 boards per game.
Statistically, Houston is as impressive as a team of its caliber should be. The Cougars are shooting 46.1% from the floor and 41.5% from three. They also turn the ball over less than 10 times per game while forcing nearly 15 turnovers. Opponents shoot just 34.7% from the floor and 29.1% from deep.
WVU and Houston have only met one time previously, last year in the Cougars’ debut season in the Big 12. Houston beat the Mountaineers 89-55 at home.
For a related story, WVU basketball remains in favorable position in latest Bracketology.