The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
West Virginia
Women's Basketball preview: No. 7/8 West Virginia - Big 12 Championship [March 9, 2014]
03.09.2014 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns return to the Big 12 Championship semifinals on Sunday against West Virginia.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Semifinals
Game 32: Texas (21-10) vs. West Virginia (28-3)
Sunday, March 9 • 4:30 p.m. Central
Oklahoma City, Okla. • Chesapeake Energy Arena
| TV | Radio | Live Stats | Social | Game Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOX Sports 1 | KVET-AM 1300 / TexasSports.com | Big12Sports.com | Twitter / Instagram | Texas |
NOTES AT A GLANCE
• No. 3 seed Texas and No. 2 seed West Virginia meet on Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship (FOX Sports 1). It is the third meeting of the season and sixth meeting overall between the Longhorns and Mountaineers.
• Against Ranked Opponents: Sunday's contest against No. 7/8 West Virginia marks the fifth time Texas has faced a top-10 opponent this season. Texas has four wins over teams in the USA TODAY/Coaches poll and three wins over teams ranked in the AP poll (at the time of competition). West Virginia was ranked 18th in the AP and 21st in the Coaches when the Longhorns defeated Mountaineers on Jan. 25 in Austin.
• Series: WVU leads the series, 3-2. In the first-ever meeting between Texas and West Virginia, WVU defeated UT in the first round of the NCAA Championship, 68-55, on March 17, 2012 in Norfolk, Va. The following season, Karen Aston took over the head-coaching role at Texas and West Virginia joined the Big 12.
• Longest Winning Streak: Texas' current four-game winning streak is the longest of the season. UT has five winning streaks of three games or more this season. UT ended the regular season in third place in the Big 12 standings -- its best Big 12 finish since 2004-05 (2nd).
• Back in the Semi's: Texas returns to the Big 12 Championship semifinals for the first time since 2008, when the 7th-seeded Longhorns upset No. 2 seed Baylor in the quarterfinals, before losing to No. 3 seed Oklahoma State in the semifinals. In six appearances in the semifinals, Texas has a 3-3 record.
• Erasing a Halftime Deficit: For the second time this season, Texas overcame an Oklahoma halftime lead to win. On Saturday, Texas overcame a six-point halftime deficit (41-35) by beginning the second half on a 7-0 run and eventually winning, 82-72. On Jan. 8, Texas trailed by 12 points at halftime against Oklahoma in Austin (38-26), only to comeback and win, 79-74 in overtime.
• Elite Defense: Texas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense (.343) and rebounding defense (33.0 rpg allowed), while ranking 3rd scoring defense (59.5 ppg allowed). Texas' current field goal percentage defense is on pace to break the program's 38-year-old record, set during the 1975-76 season (.355).
• 3-point Accuracy: Texas leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (.368, 172-467 3FG). Last season, Texas finished last in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (.278, 102-367 3FG). For the first time in program history, Texas features seven players with 10 or more 3-point field goals made. For the first time in over 10 years, seven players made at least one 3-pointer in the same game -- against Oklahoma on Saturday.
• Assists: UT's 15.1 assists per game (2nd in the Big 12) are the most by a Texas team since averaging 15.9 during the 1998-99 season.
• In the Paint: Texas has out-rebounded its opponents by an average margin of +11.6 rebounds, which leads the Big 12 and ranks 3rd nationally.
• 20-win Season: Texas reached 20 wins for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when the Longhorns went 22-11.
• All-Big 12: Texas was represented by a trio of student-athletes on the All-Big 12 teams -- junior forward Nneka Enemkpali (First Team), sophomore center Imani McGee-Stafford (Second Team) and senior Chassidy Fussell (Honorable Mention).
• Points and Rebounds Leader: junior forward Nneka Enemkpali leads Texas in both points (12.5 ppg) and rebounds (8.9 rpg). Enemkpali has a team-high eight double-doubles this season, including a 10-point, 13-rebound effort against Oklahoma last night.
• McGee-Stafford's Increased Production: In the last five games, sophomore center Imani McGee-Stafford is averaging 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds, while shooting 50.8 percent from the field (33-65 FG). She set a career-high 26 points (12-14 FG) at Iowa State on Feb. 22 and has reached double-figure points in all five games since. On the season, the Los Angeles native averages 10.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg.