Preview: West Virginia at Arizona State

TEMPE, Ariz. (Interstat) — Two Big 12 teams trending in opposite directions will meet Wednesday night when the West Virginia Mountaineers visit the Arizona State Sun Devils at Wells Fargo Arena.

West Virginia (12-6) enters on a high note after a 72-61 home victory over Colorado last Saturday. The Mountaineers have won three of their last four conference games, with the lone loss a 77-48 defeat at Houston.

Arizona State (10-8) looks to halt a slide, having lost four of its last five. The Sun Devils are coming off a difficult 103-73 road loss to those same Houston Cougars on Sunday.

The matchup features a key battle in the backcourt. West Virginia will rely on guard Treysen Eaglestaff, who is averaging 11.4 points per game. Eaglestaff is coming off a season-high 22-point performance in 37 minutes against Colorado. For Arizona State, guard Noah Meeusen has been a steady presence, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 assists. He scored 10 points with three assists in the loss to Houston.

West Virginia’s recent success has been fueled by balance. In the win over Colorado, Brenen Lorient added 12 points and Honor Huff scored 14. The Mountaineers will aim to control the tempo against an Arizona State squad that has struggled defensively, allowing an average of 90.2 points in its last five losses.

Arizona State’s offense has shown flashes, led by forward Andrija Grbovic’s 14-point effort off the bench Sunday and guard Maurice Odum, who dished out six assists against Houston. The Sun Devils will need a strong defensive effort at home to contain West Virginia’s momentum.

This game is the first of a challenging two-game homestand for Arizona State, which hosts Cincinnati on Saturday. West Virginia continues its road trip with a visit to Arizona on Saturday.

Wednesday’s tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST.