BYU will face 7 seed West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament after their victory over Kansas State. BYU are looking for revenge after losing to West Virginia 79-71 on February 28. BYU’s previous game saw AJ Dybantsa score 40 points and the team set a Big 12 Tournament record with 105 points.
This is a Quad 2 game for BYU. A win would strengthen their resume as they aim for a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6pm CT on ESPN2.
Previous Encounter and Key Players
In their previous match, West Virginia managed to limit AJ Dybantsa to 20 points. Rob Wright scored 23 points, and Alexsej Kostic added 12 off the bench for West Virginia. BYU trailed by 14 points at halftime but closed the gap to within 3 points in the final minutes. Turnovers and West Virginia’s second chance points proved decisive.
Brenen Lorient was a key player for West Virginia, scoring 18 points and grabbing 7 offensive rebounds. BYU held Honor Huff to 3-10 shooting from three, but he made 6-7 free throws. Huff is known for taking a high volume of three-point shots.
West Virginia’s Tournament Aspirations
West Virginia are on the fringes of the bubble and need a victory to maintain their NCAA Tournament aspirations. West Virginia run the slowest tempo in the Big 12. In the previous game against BYU, they secured 18 offensive rebounds.
BYU are coming into this game with confidence. West Virginia are motivated to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. In the previous game, West Virginia made things difficult for AJ Dybantsa.
Mboup’s Potential Impact
Khadim Mboup’s performance could be a factor in the game. He was limited to just 2 rebounds in 11 minutes in the previous match due to a leg injury. He is coming off a 14 point rebound performance versus Kansas State.
KenPom Prediction: BYU 75, WVU 69 — BYU 69% win probability
- West Virginia is the worst three-point shooting team in the Big 12.
- West Virginia has the second highest three-point attempt rate in the conference after Texas Tech.
- Rob Wright is expected to play.
BYU will need someone like Moo Davis to knock down shots to open up some space for AJ. BYU’s best wins include victories over Cincinnati (H/A), Kansas (H), Colorado (H), Arizona State (A), Kansas State (H), UCF (A), and UCF (H).