Texas Tech, Niem Stevenson ready to put No. 9 West Virginia on notice
West Virginia and Texas Tech were a combined 23-3 when they played in their first meeting this season back on Jan. 3. The only noticeable difference were the Mountaineers being ranked No. 7, while the Red Raiders were unranked.
Those rankings didn't deter Texas Tech, as they were able to win 77-76 in overtime at home.
However, following that win to go 12-2 on the season, the Red Raiders went just 4-6 in the ten games that followed.
Meanwhile, West Virginia took down then-No. 1 Baylor a week later and then-No. 2 Kansas two weeks after that.
But in the last seven days, things have started to change.
Texas Tech was tied with the Jayhawks and had possession with 39 seconds left in the game, but turned the ball over to ultimately lose by a point, 80-79.
That game seemed to be the beginning of a turnaround of sorts, as the Red Raiders improved with an impressive 84-78 victory over No. 4 Baylor
On the other side, West Virginia looked to secure its second win over Kansas this season, leading by 14 points with under four minutes left to play. However, the Mountaineers blew their lead, eventually going on to lose in overtime.
The ensuing press conference was one of the saddest ones in recent memory and that hangover could spill over Saturday in Lubbock.
To help avoid a repeat performance from earlier in the season, West Virginia will have to look to slow down a trio of players who have been on hot streaks.
Guards Keenan Evans and Niem Stevenson, and forward Zach Smith have carried the Red Raiders the last two games, accounting for over 75 percent of the teams combined points against Kansas and Baylor.
| Name | PPG Last 2 Games | Season Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson | 21.5 | 8.4 | 13.1 |
| Evans | 24.0 | 15.2 | 8.8 |
| Smith | 16.0 | 13.2 | 2.8 |
The most noticeable player is Stevenson, who has scored over 20 points in back-to-back games, the only two times he has hit the 20-point mark this season.
His increase of 13.1 points in those two games compared to his season average of 8.4 makes it seem like a small sample size. However, in his last six games, Stevenson has hit double-digit points in five of those contests, to give him an average of 14.6 points dating back to the end of January.
In his 18 games prior, Stevenson averaged just 6.3 points.
West Virginia will have to keep an eye on Stevenson, who did not start in their first meeting, though played 27 minutes and scored 13 points. In fact, Stevenson's scoring spike coincides with his insertion into the starting lineup following a loss to Texas on Feb. 1.
The Mountaineers are pretty well assured of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, however, if the Red Raiders want to earn a berth, they will have to continue to play at their current pace and win their remaining five games and make a deep conference tournament run.
For West Virginia, they will want to bounce back and get into a groove as they head into their Feb. 27 showdown with Baylor, before ending the season against Iowa State.