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The 12th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders will make a trip to Morgantown for a Big 12 showdown against the 14th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers on Monday.
The Red Raiders kept their last match with the Baylor Bears close, losing by just 8 points against one of college basketball's best teams.
The Mountaineers, on the other hand, bounced back from a loss with a blowout victory in their last match-up and will hope to get a similar outcome on Monday.
Match Details
Fixture: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. West Virginia Mountaineers - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Monday, January 25th, 2021, 9 PM ET
Venue: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
Texas Tech Red Raiders Preview
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are coming off a hard-fought loss to the No. 2 Baylor Bears, showing terrific upside but coming up short in the end.
The Red Raiders have still won four of their last six games, representing one of the top offenses in the Big 12 conference. Shooting an impressive 44% from the field as a team, they have many things to build on from their game with Baylor.
This match-up is looking to be quite even, but the recent momentum built by this Texas Tech Red Raiders team could be the difference-maker on Monday.
Key Player - Mac McClung
The Texas Tech Red Raiders' offense has been powered by their junior guard, Mac McClung. Currently their leading scorer, the 21-year-old is averaging 16.3 points per game on 43% shooting for Texas Tech.
In his most recent game against the Baylor Bears, McClung dropped a game-high 24 points, but his efforts fell just short. The 6-foot-2 sharpshooter should continue to provide the spark for his team as they hunt for a national title.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Predicted Lineup
G Mac McClung, G Terrence Shannon Jr., G Kyler Edwards, F Marcus Santos-Silva, F Micah Peavy
West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
The West Virginia Mountaineers had three consecutive games canceled due to COVID-19 protocol but returned to action on Saturday for an impressive victory over the Kansas State Wildcats.
With their win, the Mountaineers have successfully bounced back from their previous loss to the Texas Longhorns. They now hold sole possession of 6th place in the conference but enter Monday's match-up with a 10-4 overall record.
The West Virginia Mountaineers will need to be in top form when they host the Texas Tech Red Raiders to avoid falling below .500 in Big 12 play once again.
Key Player - Derek Culver
West Virginia Mountaineers' big man Derek Culver has been a handful for any defender in front of him this year.
The 6-foot-10 forward is a powerful presence in the post, averaging a team-leading 10.8 rebounds to go along with 13.8 points per game.
Derek Culver played only 21 minutes in his most recent game, fouling out early with only 8 points and 4 rebounds.
With skillful short-range shooting and fancy footwork, I expect Culver to have a nice response to this rough performance, controlling the paint all night against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
West Virginia Mountaineers Predicted Lineup
F Derek Culver, F Emmitt Matthews Jr., F Jalen Bridges, G Mile McBride, G Sean McNeil
Texas Tech vs. West Virginia Prediction
While the West Virginia Mountaineers have earned some impressive victories thus far, they are yet to defeat a top-15 opponent. In fact, three of their four losses have come to top-5 teams.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will have a slight advantage for this reason, given that they recently knocked off the No. 4 Texas Longhorns.
I predict Mac McClung to have yet another impact performance on the way to a Texas Tech Red Raiders' road victory.
Where to watch Texas Tech vs. West Virginia
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
