The West Virginia Mountaineers had come into Big 12 play as a potential favorite, as their pressuring defense was causing turnovers and offense everwhere you looked. The team had been playing very well in league play, with wins over Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech, along with a close loss to Iowa State at home. However, last week, they played a Texas Longhorns team that broke the WVU press and scourged the Mountaineers, 77-50. Today, the 'Eers were wanting to bounce back in a big way, welcoming Texas Christian to Morgantown, a team that they have already beat on the road this season.

But this Texas Christian team is different than years past. They've been growing up before our eyes, becoming one of the better rebounding teams in the nation, and using their 'Triple K Attack' of Kyan Anderson, Karviar Shepherd, and Kenrich Williams to pierce defenses. They came to play today in Morgantown, taking advantage of the remaining shellshock that West Virginia suffered against Texas.

West Virginia and TCU played near dead-even in the first half, with runs from both squads. Juwan Staten, WVU's preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, was driving into the paint and converting some easy layups while getting to the foul line often. A big story was the improved play of Jonathan Holton and Devin Williams, as both had been flailing in the past few WVU games. Williams had 18 points with 12 rebounds, while Holton had a statline just as impressive with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. These two manned the paint, playing good basketball all around.

However, the Horned Frogs would not quite. Kyan Anderson was knocking down consistent jump shots, showing the raucous WVU crowd that he had come to play. Chris Washburn was productive down low, and Amric Fields charged past the WVU defense for layups as well. Near the end of the half, Anderson led a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to one at the half, 36-35 WVU.

A surprising star emerged for TCU in the 2nd half, as Charles Hill Jr. came off of the bench to provide a massive spark, scoring 13 points on the night. With this added offensive boost, Texas Christian opened things up a little in this half. West Virginia's backcourt didn't seem to have very much confidence on any area of the floor, especially Gary Browne Jr. The WVU captain scored only 5 points and fouled out later in the half to put the Mountaineers in a dire position. After Hill Jr. hit a 3 pointer with 2:22 to go, TCU held a 58-54 lead. However, two freshmen shooters dug West Virginia out of their hole. Jevon Carter, a streaky yet talented scorer nailed a trey in response to Hill Jr.'s, and with 2 seconds left in regulation, Daxter Miles Jr. drilled a jumper to knot the game up at 72 a piece, sending the matchup to overtime.

Texas Christian decided to stick with what had been working, going down low. Karviar Shepherd started off the bonus time with a thunderous dunk, while Kenrich Williams and Amric Fields followed with drives in the paint of their own. After an Anderson jumper with 1:19 left, the Frogs had a 80-75 lead. Who would try to save the Mountaineers now? The same young man that saved them in regulation, Daxter Miles Jr., hitting 3's on two consecutive possessions to give West Virginia a 1 point advantage with 11 ticks left.

What happened next seemed to be a blur. Immediately after the 2nd Miles Jr. three-pointer, Trey Zeigler, who had already knocked down a few other key jump shots, lifted a pretty little floater right over the WVU defense to give the Horned Frogs the advantage with only 3 seconds left. West Virginia, in ultra-hurry-up mode, lobbed a pass to youngster Jevon Carter, who drove and was fouled while attempting a layup with only 9/10ths of a second left. This foul was controversial, one that TCU head coach Trent Johnson did not believe, but the call stood. Jevon Carter converted both FTs, and the Mountaineers held on for an incredibly tough, and still controversial, victory, 86-85.

This is not a loss that should cause the Horned Frogs to hang their heads. They did everything they could, breaking the West Virginia press often and playing good defense in their own right. They may have won had it not been for that ticky-tack foul at the end of overtime, and should use the energy from this game for the rest of Big 12 play. The purple is making a massive entrance into Big 12 prominence, and Trent Johnson should be thrilled with the growth of his team.

West Virginia has scrapped out another victory, and as ugly as it was, it got the 'Eers back on track. They looked a bit lackadaisical with their press today, and their mindsets as a whole still looked rattled after their blowout loss to Texas, but nonetheless, a win is a win.

Texas Christian is still looking for that one quality win for a potential NCAA tournament bid, and if they want one, their opportunity comes on Wednesday when they invite Kansas to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. West Virginia goes to Manhattan on Tuesday to tussle with an up-and-coming Kansas State Wildcats team.

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About the author
Ben Anderson
Hi, folks. I am Ben, a West Virginian, loud and proud. I've been the editor in chief of VAVEL USA since December of 2013, and continue to work hard and make the International Sports Newspaper the best on the internet.