MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia men’s basketball tips off its final five-game stretch of the season on Saturday when it hosts the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Here’s what WVU’s head coach had to say before the game:

Scouting the Red Raiders

West Virginia’s first matchup with Texas Tech was a crucial one for the Mountaineers as they earned their first Big 12 win on the road in two seasons.

That seemed to jolt some energy into the Red Raiders, though, as they’ve taken four wins in their last six games since the meeting in Lubbock. Two of those wins came against top-15 opponents, Iowa State and Texas.

“I think they’re playing with a lot more confidence now,” Huggins said. “[Mark Adams is] a good coach…they’re doing some different things than what they were. They’re really driving the ball.”

Their most recent win over Texas came on a quick turnaround after the Longhorns’ blowout of West Virginia over the weekend. Huggins theorized that the Red Raiders were able to take advantage of extra confidence from that win.

“I think it was Texas was pretty happy they beat us like a drum, which I think happens, you know?” he said.

Eyes on the postseason prize

The Mountaineers are back on the bubble after its empty road trip to Texas. Luckily for them, they are still on the good side of it with five more chances to improve their resume, plus the trip to the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

Of course, Huggins isn’t looking that far ahead.

“Our focus is to try to win the rest of our games here and move up, obviously, in the league standings, and obviously, move up where we’re seeded in the NCAA Tournament,” Huggins said. “That’s our focus. We haven’t really talked at all about the conference tournament. We need to win games, and I think our guys realize that.”

Huggins reaffirmed that last sentiment, noting that his team had a good string of practices ahead of the Texas Tech clash on Saturday.

“Yesterday might have been as good a practice as we’ve had in a long time,” he said.