No. 15 West Virginia storms back to knock off No. 13 Texas in Big 12 thriller

No. 15 West Virginia stormed back from a double-digit deficit midway through the second half to escape No. 13 Texas 84-82 on Saturday in a Big 12 thriller. 

The Mountaineers (15-6, 8-4) were fueled off a collective effort that saw Miles McBride (17 points), Sean McNeil (16 points), Derek Culver (14 points), Emmitt Matthews Jr. (14 points) and Taz Sherman (14 points) all shine as one of coach Bob Huggins' most gifted offensive teams. 

West Virginia trailed by as much as 19 points at one point. A verbal dispute between Texas teammates Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones shifted the game's momentum drastically in the second half and appeared to be the game's turning point. 

The Longhorns (13-6, 7-5) got 28 points from Ramey in the loss but fell apart in the last five minutes, unable to stop WVU's furious rally. 

Neither team made a field goal in the final three minutes. Sherman's two free throws with 2:27 remaining put WVU up 83-82 and then McBride's free throw with 1:48 left was the last point scored. 

West Virginia started the day as a No. 3 seed in bracketology projections and is now well positioned to be the Big 12's best seeded team behind first-place Baylor. Texas, meanwhile, had started to turn the corner with two consecutive wins following a three-game skid. The team's strong start still positions it for a top-four or top-five seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson. 

Source: Read Full Article