MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With five games remaining in the regular season, crunch time has arrived for WVU men’s basketball.

Three of West Virginia’s final five games will be played at home, beginning Saturday against Texas Tech, a team that has surged in recent weeks. Both teams sit near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, but both can still make the case for an NCAA Tournament berth with a few more victories — making Saturday’s tilt a critical one for both squads.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

WVU hoops vs. Texas Tech game information

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023
  • Time: Noon ET
  • Location: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
  • TV channel: ESPNU
  • Stream: WatchESPN
  • Radio: Find your affiliate of the Mountaineer Sports Network
  • Series history: WVU leads all-time series 17-8 since 2005
  • Last meeting: West Virginia defeated Texas Tech 76-61 on Jan. 25

WVU vs. Texas Tech matchup preview

West Virginia won the most recent meeting between these teams by 15 points, but these days, Texas Tech is a much different team. The Red Raiders have won four of six since, including back-to-back games over ranked Big 12 opponents. Most recently, the Longhorns handed No. 6 Texas a 74-67 setback Monday night.

Texas Tech is led by “super senior” Kevin Obanor. He leads the roster in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). De’Vion Harmon has scored at least 13 points in each of his last eight appearances, and dropped a season-high 25 against Texas.

Meanwhile, WVU has dropped each of its last two contests, falling to Texas and Baylor during a road trip. While they continue to struggle away from home, the Mountaineers are a much better team inside the Coliseum, where they’re 11-3 this year.

WVU currently features 10 players who average at least 10 points per game: Erik Stevenson (13.8 ppg), Tre Mitchell (11.4 ppg), Joe Toussaint (10.2 ppg), Kedrian Johnson (10.1 ppg) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (10.0).

Matthews led the Mountaineers in scoring in their losses at Texas and Baylor. Toussaint scored a season-high 22 points against the Red Raiders in the previous meeting.