The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers continue Big 12 Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.
Tip-off is set for noon central. Texas Tech (20-6, 11-4 in Big 12) is ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 while the Mountaineers (16-10, 7-8) are not ranked.
Texas Tech is in really good shape for the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders would be the No. 4 seed if the tournament started today and get a double bye to the quarterfinals. TTU also has a two-game cushion on BYU, which is in fifth place. The Red Raiders don’t want to squander that.
West Virginia is now on the bubble, even with its victory over Cincinnati. Now under .500 in Big 12 play, the Mountaineers need a surge before they get to Kansas City. But it’s the Big 12 so it’s not like the schedule is forgiving. This would be a Quad 1 win for the Mountaineers, and it would be a big one if they could pull it off.
Related: Making Sense of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament Seedings With Two Weeks Left
This is your yearly reminder that John Denver went to college at Texas Tech and while “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is rightfully associated with West Virginia, the Red Raider band is gonna play it at some point on Saturday. It’s not trolling. It’s respect.
Here is a preview of Saturday’s game.
How to Watch West Virginia vs. Texas Tech
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Time: Noon CT
TV Channel: ESPN+
Sign up for ESPN+ now to stream live West Virginia vs. Texas Tech!
Site: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas
West Virginia vs. Texas Tech Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: -11.5
Current Line: -11.5
Over/Under: 135.5
West Virginia vs. Texas Tech Predictions
Texas Tech’s biggest advantage in this game is in the paint with JT Toppin. The forward is averaging 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and is as close to a guaranteed double-double as one will get in this conference. WVU has cobbled together a solid interior game, but Toppin can overwhelm teams if he doesn’t get into foul trouble.
Texas Tech shoots better than 38% from the 3-point line and Darrion Williams, Chance McMillian, Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins are all liable to get hot. Anderson, in particular, has been a revelation as a freshman. He’s the kind of player coach Grant McCasland is going to want to bar the transfer portal door to keep — and teams will sniff around.
The Red Raiders play eight and if Toppin gets into foul trouble they’ll have to lean hard on the backcourt as his backup, Federiko Federiko, is more help on defense than offense.
WVU’s win over Cincinnati stopped the bleeding, but the game almost went to overtime thanks to a Mountaineers defensive breakdown. West Virginia had some huge wins early, which helped put it on the Bracketology radar.
But since beating Iowa State at home in January the Mountaineers are 3-6. Coach Darian DeVries’ first season will now be defined by this stretch run and whether the Mountaineers have enough to be on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Guard Javon Small has been terrific all season (18.5 ppg) and forward Amani Hansberry (9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) has been consistent inside. But Tucker DeVries’ season-ending shoulder surgery has left the Mountaineers undermanned and it may be catching up to them.
Forward Tobi Okani is worth watching. Before he scored just two points against Cincinnati, he scored 19 against Baylor and 16 against BYU. He’s a solid supplement alongside Hansberry.
Lubbock is one of the hardest places to play in the Big 12 and has developed an interesting rivalry with WVU since the Mountaineers joined the league.
Texas Tech 81, West Virginia 75
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Texas Tech (82.9% Chance of Winning)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
