Saturday, January 26
Knoxville, Tenn.
4:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Tennessee
United Bank Playbook - Tennessee Preview
January 25, 2019 02:28 PM | Men's Basketball
| Tale of the Tape |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 86.2 | 74.5 |
| Points Against | 67.5 | 73.9 |
| FG Per Game | 30.6 | 24.8 |
| FGA Per Game | 60.1 | 58.9 |
| FG Percentage | .508 | .421 |
| 3-Point FGA Per Game | 6.7 | 7.5 |
| 3-Point FG Percentage | .357 | .319 |
| FT Per Game | 18.4 | 17.4 |
| FTA Per Game | 23.9 | 25.4 |
| FT Percentage | .770 | .687 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 39.2 | 40.2 |
| Assists Per Game | 19.8 | 13.1 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.9 | 5.7 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 11.5 | 15.2 |
| Blocks Per Game | 5.9 | 4.2 |
He believes the 17-1 Volunteers have all of the elements to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament later this spring.
"They don't have a lot of weaknesses," Huggins said. "They're terrific inside. They've got size. They've got athleticism. (Grant) Williams is off-the-charts good. They've got depth and they've got a guy sitting over on the bench (Rick Barnes) that is a heck of a coach. He's been one of the better coaches in the country for a long time."
Huggins' young West Virginia squad will be facing a colossal challenge in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12/SEC Challenge against college basketball's No. 1-ranked team in front of a jam-packed Thompson-Boling Arena that seats more than 21,000.
It will be the 14thtime in school history West Virginia is playing No. 1.
The others:
* Jan. 10, 2017 vs. No. 1 Baylor in Morgantown (89-68 win)
* March 12, 2016 vs. No. 1 Kansas in Lawrence (81-71 loss)
* Jan. 12, 2016 vs. No. 1 Kansas in Morgantown (74-63 win)
* March 26, 2015 vs. No. 1 Kentucky in Cleveland (78-39 loss)
* Feb. 18, 2006 vs. No. 1 Connecticut in Morgantown (81-75 loss)
* Jan. 9, 1999 vs. No. 1 Connecticut in Morgantown (80-45 loss)
* Jan. 27, 1995 vs. No. 1 Massachusetts in Morgantown (97-94 loss)
* Feb. 28, 1988 vs. No. 1 Temple in Philadelphia (78-69 loss)
* Feb. 23, 1988 vs. No. 1 Temple in Morgantown (62-61 loss)
* Feb. 27, 1983 vs. No. 1 UNLV in Morgantown (87-78 win)
* Dec. 21, 1968 vs. No. 1 UCLA in Los Angeles (95-56 loss)
* Feb. 7, 1966 vs. No. 1 Duke in Charleston (94-90 win)
* Dec. 21, 1957 vs. No. 1 North Carolina in Lexington (75-64 win)
Huggins has had some success recently against college basketball's top-ranked team but that came with Mountaineer squads that were also nationally ranked.
This year's edition is coming off a 12-point home loss to Baylor on Monday night to drop its overall record to 9-10 – foreign territory for one of college basketball's winningest coaches ever in Huggins.
If not for a one-point upset victory over then-seventh ranked Kansas, WVU would be looking at an 0-7 record in Big 12 play.
But that Kansas win carries some added meaning Saturday because the Jayhawks are the only team to take down Tennessee so far this year - that coming back on Nov. 23 in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn, New York.
Kansas got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Dedric Lawson and it limited Williams to only 18 points on six-of-13 shooting in an 87-81 Jayhawk victory in overtime.
Slowing down Tennessee's powerful 6-foot-7-inch, 236-pound Williams has been a big chore of late. He poured in 43 points in Tennessee' 88-83 overtime victory over Vanderbilt on Wednesday night by making all 23 free throw attempts against the Commodores - the most free throws without a miss in a college game in 60 years and the second most all-time.
West Virginia associate head coach Larry Harrison, filling in for Huggins Thursday on the Big 12's weekly coaches' teleconference, was asked how the Mountaineers plan to slow down a player who can seemingly score at will close to the basket.
"He's a talent. He can score the ball. He's the heart and soul of their team and he's going to be a handful as far as trying to contain him," Harrison said. "We're going to have to rotate different guys to see who can be the most effective defending him, but we're excited about playing Tennessee."
Unfortunately for West Virginia, the Volunteers have other weapons.
Six-six guard Admiral Schofield is averaging 16.7 points per game and has made a team-best 37 triples. Six-three guard Jordan Bone shows averages of 13.3 points and 6.4 assists per game, while 6-5 guard Jordan Bowden is giving Tennessee 10.7 points per game off the bench.
Six-eleven, 215-pound senior forward Kyle Alexander is Tennessee's most productive big with averages of 9.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
The Volunteers are outscoring their opponents by an average of nearly 19 points per game and boast a number of quality wins this year over Georgia Tech, Louisville, Gonzaga, Memphis, Missouri, Florida, Arkansas and Alabama.
The excitement Tennessee has generated this year is also showing up in the turnstiles with crowds at Thompson-Boling Arena exceeding more than 21,000 in three of its last four home games.
Tennessee is averaging more than 18,000 for its 11 home dates so far this year.
"I've always told them (the crowd) can't block a shot, can't make a shot, can't make a free throw and can't make a traveling call so just go play," Huggins said. "Them having 21,000 people has nothing to do with their five against our five and the best five is going to win, or the best 10 maybe because I think we'll both play more than five guys."
Thirteen different Mountaineer players got on the floor during Monday night's 85-73 loss to Baylor.West Virginia dug itself a deep hole in the first half and could never climb out of it despite getting great looks near the basket. WVU shot just 38.7 percent for the game and got a combined 21 points from its starting five.
"We've had opportunities whether it's driving it to the basket or running some sets," Huggins explained. "We've had guys front and threw over the front and never got it overtop of them. We've seemingly found ways to lose rather than find ways to win."
Against Baylor, it was missing 16 of its 26 shots in the paint. Against Kansas State, it was an inability to hang on to a 21-point second half lead. Against Texas Tech, it was West Virginia's failure to make free throws.
Huggins is hopeful his team can put together another performance like the one it gave against Kansas last Saturday afternoon.
Guard Beetle Bolden is coming off a team-high 22 points against Baylor and is now tops among available players with an average of 12.8 points per game. He had a career-high 31 in a recent 85-77 loss to Oklahoma State.
West Virginia lost last year's Big 12/SEC Challenge game against Kentucky in Morgantown to drop to 1-4 overall in these. WVU defeated Texas A&M in Morgantown 2017, lost at Florida in 2016, fell to LSU at home in 2015 and lost at Missouri in 2014.
Saturday's game will tip at 4 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale and Allison Williams).
The Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG's radio coverage begins at 3 p.m. on affiliates throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the mobile app WVU Gameday.
It will be the ninth meeting in a series dating back to 1959 with West Virginia holding a 5-3 advantage. WVU is 2-1 against Tennessee in Knoxville including winning its last visit there in 2001, 74-72, on Jonathan Hargett's 3 with 4.2 seconds left.
TV Highlights: WVU 72, Colorado 61
Sunday, January 18
Ross Hodge | Colorado Postgame
Saturday, January 17
Treysen Eaglestaff, Honor Huff & Brenen Lorient | Colorado Postgame
Saturday, January 17
United Bank Playbook: Colorado Preview
Friday, January 16
