| Story of the Tape |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Factors Per Sport | 79.2 | 77.5 |
| Scoring Margin | +13.2 | +13.6 |
| Discipline Aim Proportion | .498 | .442 |
| OPP Discipline Aim Proportion | .386 | .373 |
| 3-PT Discipline Aim Proportion | .355 | .354 |
| Opp 3-PT Discipline Aim Proportion | .303 | .287 |
| Free Throw Proportion | .716 | .778 |
| Rebounds Per Sport | 38.2 | 37.2 |
| Assists Per Sport | 18.8 | 14.5 |
| Turnovers Per Sport | 10.5 | 11.7 |
| Steals Per Sport | 7.2 | 8.2 |
| Blocks Per Sport | 4.9 | 6.0 |
| Streak | W2 | W5 |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Coach Darian DeVries‘ Mountaineers are going to attempt to do one thing Tuesday afternoon that no West Virginia males’s basketball crew has ever accomplished – win a recreation at Allen Fieldhouse.
Eleven occasions WVU has performed video games in The Phog and 11 occasions it has left there in a fog.
There have been some blowouts, just like the 26-point loss in 2013 and the 26-point defeat two years in the past, and there have been some actual nailbiters that would have gone the Mountaineers’ means in the event that they made extra performs down the stretch or acquired a few breaks.
On March 3, 2015, “Press Virginia” had the Jayhawks down 40-22 with 1:22 left within the first half and led by 14 at intermission, however KU restricted West Virginia to only 19 second-half factors to tie the sport with 11.5 seconds remaining.
Jevon Carter missed a 3, Nathan Adrian’s putback attempt was swatted away by Landon Lucas on the ultimate possession of regulation, and the Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers 17-10 in additional time to tug out a 76-69 victory.
Two years later, on Feb. 17, 2017, West Virginia was main third-ranked Kansas by 14 factors with lower than three minutes remaining when the wheels got here off. KU scored a tremendous 34 factors in a span of eight minutes – the three remaining minutes of regulation and 5 minutes of additional time – to win 84-80.
Kansas acquired two free throws from Frank Mason III with 21.6 seconds left to tie it – two of 16 the guard made for the sport. The Jayhawks cashed in on 33 of their 44 free throw makes an attempt to beat a depressing 21 of 61 capturing effort from the ground.
By the way, that was the sport when Kansas established a Guinness World Document for the loudest noise ever recorded at an indoor sporting occasion.
Talking of free throws, Kansas took 35 in comparison with West Virginia’s two the next 12 months in a 77-69 victory in Lawrence.
The sport was tied 34-34 at halftime, and WVU led 66-58 with 3:47 to go, however a key sequence occurred with 28 seconds left when Daxter Miles Jr. handed up a 3-point attempt that would have given the Mountaineers the lead. As an alternative, he turned the ball over, which led to a pair of game-sealing free throws.
By then, WVU coach Bob Huggins had seen sufficient and was ejected.
Free throws weren’t the figuring out consider West Virginia’s most up-to-date go to to Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 25, 2023, a 76-74 Jayhawk victory.
West Virginia battled again from a seven-point deficit and trailed 75-74 with 33 seconds to go on Emmitt Matthews Jr.’s steal and dunk.
Ten seconds later, Jalen Wilson missed the primary of two free throws, opening the door for West Virginia to both tie the sport or win it with a 3. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers had been unable to get a clear take a look at the basket as Joe Toussaint turned the ball over with one second left. KU inbounded the ball, and the sport ended.
So, that is 4 out of 11 video games that went proper all the way down to the wire.
West Virginia additionally misplaced by seven in 2020 and by 10 in 2016, that means a number of of the video games there have been very aggressive.
Can the Mountaineers lastly overcome their Allen Fieldhouse woes on Tuesday afternoon?
Does DeVries, teaching his first Huge 12 recreation in Lawrence, imagine in an Allen Fieldhouse mystique?
“No, under no circumstances,” he laughed. “It is a arduous place to play. I do not assume West Virginia is the one crew that is had a tough time going into Allen Fieldhouse and successful. They’re excellent there. They’ve an important home-court benefit; they’re effectively coached, and so they have good gamers. That has extra to do with it than something.”
With seventh-ranked Kansas, now 9-2 after its latest blowout victory towards Brown, you simply change the names annually.
As an alternative of Udoka Azubuike, it is now 7-foot-2 middle Hunter Dickinson.
As an alternative of Frank Mason III, it is now Dajuan Harris.
As an alternative of Devonte’ Graham, it is now Zeke Mayo.
DeVries is extra involved about determining a means of slowing them down somewhat than any supernatural happenings happening within the enviornment.
“Usually, whenever you put collectively a recreation plan you may’t take away every part,” he defined. “A variety of occasions, whenever you attempt to you find yourself taking away nothing, so you must be prepared to stay with one thing, no matter that’s.”
In the meantime, the well being and well-being of DeVries’ crew remains to be a matter of conjecture.
Tucker DeVries missed his third straight recreation towards Mercyhurst with an undisclosed higher physique damage.
Ahead Amani Hansberry left the ground 18 seconds into West Virginia’s Mercyhurst victory with a sprained ankle and did not return, whereas senior guard Jayden Stone has missed all 11 video games with an higher physique damage he suffered throughout preseason observe.
DeVries stated the standing of all three stays the identical because it was after they left for Christmas break every week in the past.
When West Virginia (9-2) has been near full power, it has carried out effectively sufficient to earn a spot in ESPN’s newest bracketology, nevertheless it’s not one thing DeVries is celebrating together with his crew.
“There are simply too many video games left, and convention play is developing, however the one factor we did speak to our crew about was you could have completely different parts of the season and nonconference play is considered one of them,” he famous. “For our guys to be on this place, to have some high quality wins to be the place that you must be within the NET, these are essential. However none of meaning something in the event you do not line up in convention play and you have to proceed to stack up high quality wins.”
In WVU’s final three residence wins towards North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst, freshman guard Jonathan Powell got here off the bench to guide the crew in scoring towards North Carolina Central, whereas Javon Small was the highest point-producer towards Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst.
Small leads the Huge 12 in scoring, averaging 19.7 factors per recreation, and has topped 20 or extra in 5 of his final eight video games. He scored eight towards Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse final 12 months when he performed for Oklahoma State.
The one different Mountaineer participant with expertise in that enviornment is guard Joseph Yesufu, who really performed two seasons at Kansas earlier than transferring to Washington State final 12 months.
That is it.
Due to this fact, what occurs inside there on Tuesday can be new to nearly everybody on the crew, together with its coach.
What’s not new is enjoying a troublesome opponent on the street in a hostile setting. West Virginia has already accomplished that after this 12 months at Pitt, and the outcomes had been lower than fascinating.
The Mountaineers are hoping Tuesday’s end result can be completely different. Whether it is, they are going to have accomplished one thing no different crew in class historical past has ever completed.
The sport ideas off at 2 p.m. and can be televised on ESPN+ (Mark Neely and Kevin Lehman). Mountaineer Sports activities Community radio protection with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn will get issues began at 1 p.m. on stations all through West Virginia, on-line by way of WVUsports.com and the Varsity Community and WVU Gameday apps.
Total, Kansas leads the collection 21-7 and has received 11 out of the final 13 conferences.
Final 12 months, West Virginia upset third-ranked Kansas 91-85 in Morgantown.
