| Story of the Tape |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Factors Per Recreation | 76.7 | 71.2 |
| Scoring Margin | +21.1 | +6.8 |
| Subject Purpose Share | .459 | .423 |
| OPP Subject Purpose Share | .360 | .401 |
| 3-PT Subject Purpose Share | .395 | .330 |
| Opp 3-PT Subject Purpose Share | .302 | .285 |
| Free Throw Share | .722 | .757 |
| Rebounds Per Recreation | 38.2 | 34.6 |
| Assists Per Recreation | 13.4 | 13.5 |
| Turnovers Per Recreation | 8.7 | 10.7 |
| Steals Per Recreation | 8.5 | 8.1 |
| Blocks Per Recreation | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| Streak | W12 | L2 |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia will try to snap its first shedding streak of the Darian DeVries period on Wednesday evening towards one of many hottest groups within the nation.
The Mountaineers, losers of two straight to Arizona State and Kansas State, will try to proper issues towards a surging 16-3 Houston workforce that’s ranked sixth on this week’s polls and has received 12 straight video games following final Saturday’s 92-86 double-overtime victory at Kansas.
Amongst Houston’s latest wins is a 70-54 triumph towards West Virginia in its enviornment on Jan. 15.
In that sport, Houston despatched a number of defenders at Mountaineer guard Javon Small after he scored 9 early factors, which led to Amani Hansberry contributing a team-best 16, together with 12 in a row throughout one level within the second half. The Mountaineers truly had it to a one-possession sport with 12:36 remaining earlier than going ice chilly.
Frigid 3-point capturing has additionally plagued West Virginia in its latest two-game slide.
WVU related on solely 19% of its 21 tries from behind the arc in a 73-60 loss at Kansas State final Saturday, 4 days after misfiring on 25 of its 29 triples in a 65-57 dwelling defeat to Arizona State.
That is eight for the final 50 from behind the 3-point line, however DeVries maintains his larger concern is a protection that allowed Kansas State to attain on almost 56% of its offensive possessions one sport after permitting Arizona State to seize 14 offensive rebounds and maintain a commanding 46-to-28 benefit on the glass.
These are issues his workforce managed to keep away from up by way of its 64-57 upset victory over then-second-ranked Iowa State on Jan. 18.
“We had a nasty week of capturing, for certain, however it in the end continues to be about our protection,” DeVries famous. “On each of these nights, once we did not shoot it nicely, our protection wasn’t what it has been both. Our foremost problem was these breakdowns defensively, and once we weren’t capturing nicely, we could not sustain, and that damage us in each of these.”
Small was terrific towards the Cyclones, scoring a game-high 27 factors whereas grabbing seven rebounds, handing out 5 assists and making 4 steals. Since then, groups have made stopping him their main focus whereas taking their probabilities with different gamers with open pictures.
“For us, it is about getting him off the ball some,” DeVries mentioned. “We nonetheless want him with the ball in his fingers making performs, however they’re going to convey two guys to the ball when he has it. Now the one aspect to that’s now we have a numbers sport on the bottom of that. If we get it out of there, which now we have, that is the place a few of these 3-point alternatives come. You make that one additional cross then you’re capturing a wide-open 3, after which it is a matter of creating them.
“And we’ll do this,” he added. “We did not final week, however I’ve the entire confidence on the planet that we’ll make these pictures greater than we cannot.”
In each losses, West Virginia (13-6 total and 4-4 in Huge 12 play) dug itself an early gap it could not climb out of, together with a 19-2 deficit to start at Kansas State.
Regardless of the heavy stage of consideration, Small was nonetheless West Virginia’s main scorer in each video games, together with 22 towards Kansas State.
“We will not put all of it on Javon,” DeVries identified. “We have to proceed to get that second scorer and that third scorer on most nights.”
Houston, in the meantime, is getting balanced manufacturing throughout the board. Ahead J’Wan Roberts tallied 22 factors on 10-of-13 capturing and guard LJ Cryer related on half of his 10 3-point tries for 18 factors the primary time these two groups met in Houston.
Final Saturday at Kansas, Roberts hit for twenty-four, whereas grabbing 9 rebounds and handing out 5 assists.
Cryer was held in examine, which opened issues up for 6-foot-4 guard Milos Uzan, who simply missed a triple-double with 17 factors, 9 rebounds and 9 assists to earn Huge 12 Participant of the Week honors.
Giving the Cougars a giant increase off the bench was 6-foot-1 guard Mylik Wilson, a non-factor within the West Virginia win however a giant issue towards the Jayhawks. He completed with 18 factors on eight-of-11 capturing, together with a pair of triples.
Houston’s guards, Cryer, Uzan, Wilson and Emanual Sharp, are principally interchangeable, identical to its 6-foot-8 bigs, Roberts, Joseph Tugler and Ja’Vier Francis.
Throw in 6-foot-8 wing Terrance Arceneaux, averaging 8.2 factors per sport, and you’re looking at among the best eight-man rotations within the nation proper now.
“Throughout the board, each offensively and defensively, they’ve nice versatility,” DeVries mentioned. “Then, they go to the bench, they usually have one other man who is available in at 6-foot-8 or 6-foot-9 who can run, soar, shoot or no matter it could be.
“All of them complement one another very well in the best way they play. They’ll come out and lure a ball display screen and actually blitz it and be aggressive and get into rotations, or they will simply come out and change it, they usually’re positive with that both manner,” DeVries continued. “On the offensive finish, similar sort of deal. Their three guards every shoot it at a excessive, excessive stage, after which they will submit it with Roberts, or they carry in offensive rebounders, which is why they’re the place they’re proper now.”
Houston’s balanced assault ranges from Cryer’s team-leading 13.5 factors per sport right down to Francis’ 5.4 factors per contest coming off the bench. Sharp (13.4 ppg.) and Roberts (11.3 ppg.) are additionally averaging double figures.
The Cougars have but to lose in eight Huge 12 outings, together with comfy victories over BYU, TCU, Kansas State, West Virginia and Utah.
Wednesday evening will probably be Houston’s first-ever go to to the WVU Coliseum.
The sport will tip off at 7 p.m. and will probably be televised on ESPN+ (Eric Rothman and Tim Welsh).
Mountaineer Sports activities Community radio protection with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and studio host David Kahn will get issues began at 6 p.m. on stations all through West Virginia, on-line by way of WVUsports.com and the favored Varsity Community and WVU Gameday apps.
Tickets stay and might be bought by way of the Mountaineer Ticket Workplace by logging on to WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME.
