| Story of the Tape |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Factors Per Recreation | 71.0 | 70.1 |
| Scoring Margin | +8.0 | +5.8 |
| Area Purpose Share | .448 | .425 |
| OPP Area Purpose Share | .405 | .404 |
| 3-PT Area Purpose Share | .317 | .327 |
| Opp 3-PT Area Purpose Share | .306 | .289 |
| Free Throw Share | .645 | .747 |
| Rebounds Per Recreation | 35.9 | 33.8 |
| Assists Per Recreation | 14.2 | 13.4 |
| Turnovers Per Recreation | 9.8 | 10.8 |
| Steals Per Recreation | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Blocks Per Recreation | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| Streak | L3 | L3 |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – One staff goes to finish its three-game dropping streak when West Virginia performs Cincinnati at Fifth Third Area on Sunday afternoon.
The Mountaineers have dropped consecutive video games to Arizona State, Kansas State and Houston, and the frequent threads in every of these are sluggish begins and poor 3-point taking pictures.
West Virginia is mired in a 12-for-67 taking pictures stoop from past the arc, which has carried over into different elements of play. Nevertheless, coach Darian DeVries was inspired with how his staff responded within the second half of Wednesday evening’s 63-49 loss to the sixth-ranked Cougars.
After trailing 39-19 at halftime, West Virginia outscored Houston 30-24 within the second half, together with an 11-0 run that bought the Mountaineers again into the sport.
“That second half was us,” he stated afterward. “As a coach, you hope we bought that again within the second half.”
Guard Javon Small continues to guide the Massive 12 Convention in scoring with a mean of 19.1 factors per recreation, a full level higher than Iowa State guard Curtis Jones’ 18.1 points-per-game common. Cincinnati coach Wes Miller has in depth expertise teaching towards Small going again to Small’s days at East Carolina.
And whereas Small continues to see double- and triple-teams, which have slowed down West Virginia’s offense, the Mountaineers may need lastly cracked the code within the second half towards the Cougars. Forwards Toby Okani and Amani Hansberry had been capable of get some attractiveness on the basket towards smaller defenders when Houston’s bigs both switched to protect Small or got here off their man to offer assist.
With Tucker DeVries sidelined, getting a constant second and third scorer has been a giant problem for West Virginia within the subsequent 12 video games since his harm.
Getting factors towards Cincinnati on Sunday will definitely be a chore.
The Bearcats are giving up simply 63 factors per recreation, and opponents are taking pictures solely 40.6% total and 30.6% from 3-point distance. Cincinnati has a formidable rim protector in 7-foot heart Aziz Bandaogo, who has blocked a team-best 31 photographs.
“They’re terrific defensively,” DeVries stated throughout his weekly United Financial institution Playbook go to with Tony Caridi posted on-line earlier right this moment. “They have nice shot blocking on the rim, they usually get after the ball somewhat bit and put quite a lot of stress in your ball handlers to make selections.
“They’re principally straight man,” he added. “They’ve achieved somewhat little bit of zone, however they actually take nice pleasure of their man-to-man protection.”
Cincinnati has been considerably disappointing this 12 months below Miller, coming off a 22-15 document final season and boasting what many onlookers felt was a prime 25-type staff.
The Bearcats started the 12 months ranked 20th within the preseason AP Ballot and bought to as excessive as 14th earlier than dropping 68-60 at Villanova on Dec. 3 within the Massive 12-Massive East Problem.
Since convention play started on Dec. 30, Cincinnati has dropped video games to Kansas State, Arizona, Baylor and Kansas earlier than its latest three-game slide towards Texas Tech, BYU and Utah.
Its two wins had been towards Colorado and Arizona State.
Now 12-8 total and simply 2-7 in Massive 12 play, UC is determined for a league victory after blowing a six-point second half lead at Utah on Tuesday evening. In line with David Cohen, who covers the Bearcats for the staff’s official web site, Cincinnati didn’t land till 4:48 a.m. on Wednesday morning throughout its return journey and took the time off.
Towards Utah, guard Jizzle James was one off his season excessive with 18 factors, together with a number of 3s in a recreation for the primary time in 10 outings. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard is enjoying higher of late, averaging 13.3 factors and taking pictures 45.8% over his final 4 video games. He’s additionally taking higher care of the ball after a nine-turnover stretch in his first three Massive 12 video games.
Simas Lukosius, a 6-foot-8 ahead, is the staff’s prime scorer at 12.2 factors per recreation. Most of these factors come from behind the 3-point arc the place he is made a team-best 47 whereas taking pictures a really stable 37.6%.
Guard Dan Skillings Jr. is a reputation Mountaineer followers know effectively and, he is again on the ground after lacking six video games earlier this season with a knee harm. He solely managed 4 factors on one-of-nine taking pictures towards the Utes however is averaging 10.8 factors per recreation and has had good video games towards West Virginia up to now.
“He can go rating,” DeVries stated of the 6-foot-6 junior from Blackwood, New Jersey. “From a staff standpoint, you have to preserve him below management. They produce other guys that may rating as effectively, nevertheless it’s simply a type of video games the place it is your staff protection versus their staff offense, and you bought to hope yours is healthier.”
Dillon Mitchell, a 6-foot-8 junior ahead, is contributing 10.6 factors and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest. He scored seven and grabbed six boards towards Utah.
Lukosius, James, Skillings, Bandaogo, Day Day Thomas and Josh Reed had been on the ground for final 12 months’s 92-56 Senior Day drubbing of West Virginia.
Cincinnati additionally overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to knock WVU out of final 12 months’s Massive 12 match, persevering with a rivalry that started throughout the Massive East days and even previous to that when former Mountaineer gamers Gale Catlett and Bob Huggins had been teaching the Bearcats earlier than returning to their alma mater.
Regardless of West Virginia having a brand new coach and a very remade roster, Cincinnati will probably be desperate to get after West Virginia because it has up to now.
UC holds a 12-11 benefit within the all-time sequence and has received the final two after WVU claimed 5 straight from 2010 to 2024.
Sunday’s recreation will tip off at 2 p.m. and will probably be televised on ESPN+.
“We have got to proceed to play at a excessive degree defensively and get out in transition and discover some simple alternatives on offense,” DeVries famous.
Mountaineer Sports activities Community radio protection with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and studio host David Kahn will tip issues off at 1 p.m. on stations all through West Virginia, on-line through WVUsports.com and the Varsity Community and WVU Gameday apps.
