Today is the Big 12 opener for Houston and West Virginia and the first-ever game in the league for the third-ranked Cougars. The line opened at -22.5 for the Coogs but has settled around 20.5 to 21.
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WVU Storylines. There will be a lot of storylines in Houston’s first-ever Big 12 basketball game on Saturday. WVU comes in with virtually a new team, thanks to the West Virginia Attorney General working to get RaeQuan Battle eligible after two transfers. Battle transferred from Washington to Montana State and again to WVU on a mental health waiver, but the NCAA denied it. Battle lost his appeal, but a judge issued a temporary restraining order. Under pressure, the NCAA declared all two-time transfers could play this season.
No one benefitted more from that decision than WVU: three starters became eligible due to the ruling (Battle, Noah Farrakhan, and Akok Akok). A fourth, Quinn Slazinski, is also a two-time transfer but has been eligible all season.
Their fifth starter, Kerr Kriisa, has had his NCAA issues as well: suspended 21 games his freshman year due to compensation earned playing in Europe and then the first nine games this season for impermissible benefits while at Arizona.
Can WVU gel in just the fourth game together for this starting five? Where can they hurt Houston? Learn more about WVU’s players, their strengths, and tendencies from Jayme’s Mountaineer Personnel Report
Houston Storylines. On the other side of the floor, J’Wan Roberts is expected to play today after dealing with a knee injury over the last few weeks. He told me in a GoCoogs Interview that he had the knee drained just before Christmas, reinjured it against Texas State, and sat out last week’s game vs. Penn. J’Wan practiced this week and was active when I saw him working out on Thursday.
WVU poses a few matchup problems for UH. Terrance Arceneaux would be ideally suited for this game but he’s out for the season with a torn Achilles. That said, the Coogs will force the action and try to push WVU around. WVU coaches and Houston players have talked about physicality all week. If UH bullies them and can force the Mountaineers into a halfcourt offense, the Cougars will win the game easily.
Despite some offensive success against Penn, Houston continues to work through their offensive stagnation. Watch for UH to try to move the ball quicker to the inside instead of dribbing around the perimeter for 15-20 seconds.
GoCoogs’ Week-Long Preview of WVU
Scouting Report | Personnel Report | Interview with Scouting Editor Jayme Hollingsworth | Quannas White Interview | Are Houston fans ready for Big 12 brutality? | Old Men Podcast: Teams just don’t face defenses like Houston
CATS! After The Game
CATS is growing! Soon, the Cougar After Thoughts Show will be the #1 postgame show for UH Basketball and Football. Join us tonight after WVU/Houston for conversation, breakdown of the game, and some laughs. The Godfather Galen Robinson answers your questions and we’re working to get a current UH player on the show as well.
Subscribe to GoCoogs on YouTube for more of our player interviews and coverage of the 2023-24 Basketball Team and the 2024 Cougar Football Team.
