Texas Basketball: Big 12 Title quest continues after huge win over WVU

Another crucial win for No. 4 Texas basketball arrived on the backs of their veteran guards/wings over West Virginia in Morgantown on Jan. 9.

What actually turned out to technically be an upset win on the road for No. 4 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart came over longtime head coach Bob Huggins and the No. 14 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. A very deep and talented West Virginia team matched up with this Texas team that remains undefeated in Big 12 play up to this point.

Heading into this matchup between the Longhorns and Mountaineers on the hardwood on the afternoon of Jan. 9, West Virginia was actually a 1.5-point favorite just ahead of tip off. And West Virginia took control of the game early, but it was pretty close the entire way. Texas went into the locker room at halftime down four points in Morgantown.

However, Texas turned their fortunes around fast in the second half, with the edge going their way by a score of 36-30. Texas wound up getting the win in the end by a very narrow margin, by the final score of 72-70. It was yet another close win for this Smart-coached Longhorns team that has a very different feel to it (in a good way) so far this season.

Texas was able to rally behind another solid offensive outing from the guard/wing combination of junior Courtney Ramey and redshirt junior Andrew Jones. Just one game removed from posting a career-high 23 points in the win over the Iowa State Cyclones earlier in the week, Jones continued his hot streak, especially on the offensive end.

Jones registered 16 points, to go along with three rebounds, one assist, one steal, no blocks, and two turnovers. He shot 6-of-14 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and didn’t have any attempts from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Ramey was solid on both ends of the floor. He registered a game-high 19 points, to go along with five rebounds, six assists, one steal, no blocks, and three turnovers. Ramey shot an efficient 7-of-11 from the field, 0-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.

There was also a solid effort that the Longhorns got off the bench from sophomore breakthrough power forward Kai Jones. He gave Texas 10 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block, in this narrow win over the Mountaineers.

What got Texas the win in this game in the end was their efficient shooting from two-point range and keeping pace in the turnover battle and the battle on the glass. The Longhorns shot just south of 47 percent from the field as a team in this game, and barely won the turnover battle.

This win over West Virginia moves the Longhorns record on the season so far to a mark of 10-1 (4-0 Big 12). Meanwhile, West Virginia now holds a record of 9-4 (2-3 Big 12) on the season, with their struggles at the outset of conference play continuing this weekend.

Next up for Ramey and the Longhorns is a matchup with head coach Chris Beard and the talented Texas Tech Red Raiders back at home at the Frank Erwin Center on Jan. 13. They’ll look to continue holding their spot at the top of the Big 12 standings along with the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears in that game.