 has its first three-game win streak in conference play since 2016. The Mountaineers (19-9, 7-8) have lost six straight on the road in the Big 12.West Virginia beat Texas by 38 points back on Jan. 20, the worst loss of coach Shaka Smart's five years with the Longhorns. But the Mountaineers came staggering into the rematch off a long road trip and Texas didn't buckle in a physical matchup while Jones and Ramey poured in points from the outside.Oscar Tshiebwe scored 14 points to lead West Virginia.Jones scored 16 points in the first half on a barrage of 3-pointers, and the Longhorns shot 62% against one of the best defensive teams in the country to lead 34-28 at halftime. Texas trailed by 25 at halftime in the first meeting.Texas is missing three starters or regular players with injuries and had another, forward Kamaka Hepa, knocked out with strep throat Monday night.''Over the last couple of games, me and Courtney have just felt a chemistry. It's beginning to click,'' Jones said. ''With guys out, it's forcing me to step up. When two players are in sync, you can do great things and lead a team to victory.'' West Virginia cut the Texas lead to three early in the second half before Ramey drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing, then made another to push the lead to nine.The Mountaineers' last real chance to push for the lead came when Smart was called for a technical foul and Sean McNeil made both free throws to get West Virginia within 54-47. But Texas' Matt Coleman III made a quick jumper on the other end and any momentum quickly died.''I did not try to get that. When you are playing (West Virginia), it's hand-to-hand combat,'' Smart said. ''It's a very challenging game to officiate. I imagine I just got caught up standing up for our guys.'' BIG PICTUREWest Virginia: The Mountaineers have been woeful on the road and terrible free-throw shooting doomed them Monday night. They were 10 of 21 on a night they got to the shooting bonus early in the second half. Just a few made shots would have kept the game close.The Mountaineers are also just 7 of 44 shooting 3-pointers over the the last three games. West Virginia made three against Texas, none in the second half.''This game is about making shots. They made shots and we can't,'' West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. ''They continue to clank off the rim and its demoralizing. It zaps your enthusiasm.'' Texas: The Longhorns are playing with the desperation they needed a month ago. They have clawed back from the bottom third of the league in a season of open speculation on Smart's future. Texas hasn't finished at .500 or better in the Big 12 since Smart's first season in 2015-2016.''Our guys really exemplify Texas fight,'' Smart said. ''We haven't talked to the guys about the negative stuff people say about us. ... What you are seeing the last few games is the back against the wall and still fighting.'' BIG PLAY SUBTexas freshman guard Brock Cunningham barely played much of this season but has taken on a much bigger role as injuries decimated the lineup and has delivered some big and timely plays.Cunningham had two key offensive rebounds in the final three minutes, then came flying down the baseline to block a shot by Jermaine Haley, protecting a 62-54 lead with 1:44 left.''That's just what I bring to the team,'' said Cunningham, whose defensive intensity has sparked similar efforts from teammates.Cunningham didn't even play in 15 games this season, but has logged at least 15 minutes in each of the last four.''We're at a point of this season where if we had lost any of these last three games, our postseason dreams would have been shattered,'' he said.UP NEXTWest Virginia hosts Oklahoma on Saturday.Texas plays at Texas Tech on Saturday.---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Feb 23, 2020When West Virginia is good, it's really good. But consistency has been -- and remains -- one of the biggest issues surrounding the No. 17 Mountaineers as they head into Austin on Monday to square off against battered, but suddenly hot, Texas.The Mountaineers hoped this latest visit to the Lone Star State would help them build some momentum for a solid spot in the NCAA Tournament, with games Saturday against TCU and then Monday at Texas. After all, West Virginia dominated those two teams in Morgantown earlier this season.Instead, the Mountaineers laid an egg in Fort Worth in the first game of the trip, losing to TCU 67-60 in overtime to drop their fourth game in five outings. West Virginia has lost five straight games on the road since a win on Jan. 6 at Oklahoma State."I don't know what to do," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told reporters afterward. "I'm incredibly frustrated. We've lost to the bottom part of the league. You can't do that. You just can't do that. I really thought this could be a special year that all West Virginians could rally around. Maybe it still can be." Derek Culver paced the Mountaineers (19-8, 7-7 Big 12) against the Horned Frogs with 18 points and 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double this season. Taz Sherman added 16 for West Virginia but missed the shot that could have won the game for the Mountaineers at the end of regulation.Texas heads home after an impressive 70-59 win at Kansas State on Saturday, its second straight victory with a makeshift lineup created by injuries to two starters.The Longhorns (16-11, 6-8) got a career-high 26 points and a career-best five steals from guard Courtney Ramey in the win, while Matt Coleman III, who had missed Wednesday's home win against TCU with a bruised right heel, returned to the starting lineup and registered 12 points. Andrew Jones added 12 points while hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range.Ramey had 21 of his game-high 26 points in the opening half (matching his previous career high), as the Longhorns built a 42-23 lead at the break. Texas held the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 7:40 of the first half and led by as many as 21 points midway through the second half."I think what got us going was the defensive end -- the physicality," Ramey told the Salina (Kan.) Journal. "When you're physical on defense it just comes natural on offense. And hitting shots builds your mental attitude toward attacking." Texas swept the season series from the Wildcats for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign."Today we asked them to play with grit," Texas coach Shaka Smart said. "It's hard to come in here and play if you don't have a level of grit to you. Courtney did a good job of setting the tone with that, and our other guys did a great job as well." It will take grit and a lot more for the Longhorns to beat West Virginia and continue their winning streak. The Mountaineers lambasted Texas 97-59 in the teams' first meeting of the season, handing the Longhorns their worst loss of the Smart era.--Field Level Media
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