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Little time to celebrate

MORGANTOWN – West Virginia has little time to celebrate Wednesday’s dramatic win at Texas as No. 18 Kansas State visits the Coliseum today.

Game time is slated for 1:30 p.m. and the action will be televised on the Big 12 Conference Network (WVFX).

Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins was pleased with the energy his team played with in Wednesday’s overtime victory. WVU overcame a late 10-point deficit to claim a much-needed 57-53 overtime win.

“We played with a lot more resolve,” Huggins said. “That’s the most important thing. We won the game on the glass and defended much better.”

The Mountaineers will need the same effort against the Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 Big 12), who are second in the nation in offensive rebounds, averaging 16.4 per game.

“We’ve got to keep them off the offensive glass,” Huggins said. “We can’t let them rebound it.”

Senior guard Rodney McGruder leads Kansas State in scoring with 14.7 ppg. He fired in 28 points in a win over Oklahoma State last Saturday.

He’s joined in the probable starting lineup by sophomore guard Angel Rodriguez (9.5 ppg) and junior guard Will Spradling (8.9). Sophomore Thomas Gipson (7.9) and junior Shane Southwell (6.3) will be in the frontcourt.

WVU (8-6, 1-1) is led in scoring by junior forward Aaric Murray (10.6) and sophomore guard Juwan Staten (10.5). Freshman guard Terry Henderson is averaging 8.4 points and senior forward Deniz Kilicli 7.5 ppg.

Kansas State, winners of five straight games, is coached by Bruce Weber, formerly of Illinois.

WVU won last year’s meeting, 85-80, in Wichita, Kansas. The all-time series is tied 1-1.

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