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Mountaineers heeding DeVries' advice: 'Don't limit yourself on anything' – WV MetroNews

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Mountaineers heeding DeVries' advice: 'Don't limit yourself on anything' – WV MetroNews


MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A full student section stormed the court. Four Mountaineers jumped up to stand on the scorers table. Hugs, handshakes and high fives were exchanged by members of the WVU coaching staff.

Jan 18, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Toby Okani (5) celebrates with fans after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia collected their third victory this season over a Top 10 team in a 64-57 triumph over Iowa State in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at the Coliseum.

An announced crowd of 14,444 on Jerry West Day did their part to get the Mountaineers over the line in the final minutes as they closed the game on a 15-8 run over the final three minutes.

“It was amazing,” said WVU fifth year center Eduardo Andre. “They get you going. When they are yelling, you want to go even harder. You don’t get tired because you are feeding off the crowd. That’s what we need every game. We need a sold-out crowd every game.”

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“I am excited for our fan base,” said WVU head coach Darian DeVries. “They had a hand in this one tonight. There’s some very tough places to play in the Big 12. We want our place to certainly be one of them. I felt like it was tonight and the crowd did their part. We had to do our part. But I thought the crowd was very engaged and helped us down the stretch.”

Jan 18, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Javon Small (7) drives down the lane against Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) and Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Senior guard Javon Small made just one of his first six shots from the floor in the game but he scored a dozen consecutive points in the closing stretch. Small finished the contest making 9-of-16 shots from the floor with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

“He is the Big 12 Player of the Year,” Andre said.

“It is not all about scoring for me. It is just whatever I’ve got to do to help my teammates,” Small said.”

“Like a lot of great players, and it is really fun when you are a coach of one of those, you can tell when they are in that zone,” DeVries said. “You can see it in his eyes. He wanted to take that game over. He even had another three with three minutes to go. I have seen Javon in practice and in games, when he gets in a zone, he is really, really good.”

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After a 1-1 week, the Mountaineers will almost certainly reenter the AP Top 25 poll on Monday. West Virginia (13-4, 4-2 Big 12) is tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings and they check in at No. 30 in Sunday’s NCAA NET ratings.

If the Mountaineers can maintain their level of play throughout the second half of their regular season schedule, an NCAA Tournament berth seems very much in reach.

“Like we have talked about with our team from day one, don’t limit yourself on anything. We’re going to come and we’re going to compete. These are the things we feel like we need to be good at to win. Let’s go try and do that,” DeVries said.

“I have never been a guy that was like, ‘Hey, we need to win this many games to be successful’. It is more about how we can maximize this group. If you can do that, your goal is that those wins follow. I think our guys are giving us everything they’ve got. They don’t play perfect every night and I don’t ask them to do that. Just leave it out there. They’ve done a great job of doing that so far this season.”

“We understand how big and how important the game was,” said Small. “We just can’t come out here on Tuesday against Arizona State and blow it off. We just have to keep building up momentum and racking up dubs.”

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BYU Cougars at West Virginia Mountaineers odds, picks and predictions

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BYU Cougars at West Virginia Mountaineers odds, picks and predictions


The No. 23 BYU Cougars (20-8, 8-7 Big 12) visit the West Virginia Mountaineers (16-12, 7-8) Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. ET (FOX) tip from WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA basketball odds around the BYU vs. West Virginia odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions for the best bets.

BYU has dropped 2 of its last 3 games after falling 97-84 against UCF on Tuesday, failing to cover as a 13.5-point home favorite with the Over (162.5) hitting. F AJ Dybantsa led all scorers with 29 points and G Robert Wright III added 20 as only 3 Cougars players scored in double figures in the upset loss.

West Virginia has dropped 3 games in a row after falling 91-84 in overtime against Oklahoma State on Tuesday, failing to cover as a 1.5-point road underdog with the Over (143.5) hitting. G Honor Huff scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from 3, while the Mountaineers overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to force OT before running out of gas.

– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

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BYU at West Virginia odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 10:20 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): BYU -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | West Virginia +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
  • Against the spread (ATS): BYU -1.5 (-115) | West Virginia +1.5 (-105)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

BYU at West Virginia picks and predictions

Prediction

BYU 81, West Virginia 74

PASS.

There is better value on the Cougars to cover the spread.

BET BYU -1.5 (-115).

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A win all but guarantees a cover for the Cougars in this matchup with such a slim spread. They have covered in 2 of their last 3 and 3 of their last 5, including back-to-back road games.

Neither side has played particularly well recently, with both teams being 4-6 straight up (SU) and 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. This matchup will give Dybantsa, the nation’s leading scorer (25.1 points per game) who earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors last week, an opportunity to take over the game.

BET OVER 142.5 (-110).

The Mountaineers have scored at least 74 points in 2 of their last 4 games while allowing 67 or more in 3 of their last 5.

The Cougars have hit the Over in 7 of their last 10 games. They have scored 79 or more points in 4 of their last 5, including 90 or more twice in that span. They have scored 82 or more points in 7 of their last 10 and have allowed at least 86 in 6 of their last 9.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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As Mountaineers try to move forward from recent struggles, freshman sensation Dybantsa awaits – WV MetroNews

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As Mountaineers try to move forward from recent struggles, freshman sensation Dybantsa awaits – WV MetroNews


MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia is mired in a three-game losing streak for the first time under head coach Ross Hodge.

To make the slump a thing of the past, the Mountaineers have to find a way to be successful Saturday against No. 19 BYU when the teams battle at 5:30 p.m. Saturday inside Hope Coliseum for a matchup airing on FOX.

That means contending with freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa, the leading scorer in the Big 12 Conference at 25.1 points and one the top pro prospects in all of college basketball in recent memory.

“He’s definitely worthy of all the praise and attention that he’s gotten,” Hodge said. “What impresses you as much as his talent, which is very impressive, is his commitment to his teammates and how he celebrates those guys and his leadership for a young player on top of what he can do individually.”

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At 6-foot-9, Dybantsa has a surplus of size for a primary ball-handler. It’s part of what makes his skill set so unique. He shoots north of 53 percent from the field, averages almost seven rebounds and four assists and shoots more than eight free throws per game thanks in large part to an ability to consistently draw contact.

Feb 21, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives while being defended by Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during the first half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

“He’s a problem in every facet of the game,” Hodge said. “He certainly can distort you in ways that a lot of people can’t because of his size, versatility and fluidity. Typically, in your transition defense, your guards are going to be the ones stopping the ball and he can create an automatic mismatch from the jump because he has the ball in his hands so much.”

The Cougars are relying on Dybantsa even more at present after Richie Saunders suffered a significant season-ending injury. Saunders averaged 18 points and has missed three straight games, and in essence four, as the injury occurred in the first minute of what amounted to an overtime victory against Colorado. Saunders’ 64 three-pointers remain a team high, but Dybantsa has the luxury of another consistent scorer in guard Robert Wright III, who averages 18.1 points and has 50 triples.

BYU averages 84.6 points, good for second among Big 12 teams.

“Do you play [Dybantsa] individually and live with if he gets 35 or 40, or try to shrink gaps and live with are these other guys going to make shots? That is the challenge,” Hodge said. “He’s shown the ability that he can beat you both ways.”

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The Cougars (20-8, 8-7) have dropped two of their last three and six of nine since a 17-2 start. Most recently, Central Florida had its way offensively and cruised to a road win over the Cougars, 97-84, on Tuesday.

WVU (16-12, 7-8) has lost three straight by a total of 18 points, most recently suffering a 91-84 overtime setback at Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

The Mountaineers struggled to get stops for much of the contest, with Hodge referring to the first half of that game as his team’s worst defensive half of the season.

Still, much like the game before at TCU, the win was there for the taking late and the Mountaineers were unable to close strong.

West Virginia continues to put itself in position where it’s required to overcome significant second-half deficits, and while the Mountaineers have often caught up or led late, they’ve been unable to pull through recently.

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WVU has played eight straight games decided by 10 or fewer points and recorded a 3-5 record over that time.

“The initial aftermath of any loss you’re going to be disappointed, but we’re mature enough and from a leadership standpoint,” Hodge said. “It’s hard not to just fall into the trap of you win and you’re great, you lose and you’re terrible. We’ve been fortunate enough to win some one-possession games that easily could’ve went the other way and the last three games we were in easily could’ve went our way, but they didn’t. 

“But you’re not looking at an insurmountable mountain to climb. A block out here, a free throw there, a rebound here, a made shot here, a missed shot here, that’s the difference in what you’re dealing with. Do you have the emotional intelligence and maturity to stay the course and stay together, which this group does better than anybody I’ve been around, and still find a level of excitement in what you’re doing every day. That’s where if you love basketball and love each other and love challenges, then you’re going to be in the right place. There’s going to be a certain level of excitement even in the midst of disappointing times.”



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West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Daily 3, Daily 4 on Feb. 26, 2026

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The results are in for the West Virginia Lottery’s draw games on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on Feb. 26.

Winning Daily 3 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

1-1-7

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Daily 4 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

3-8-8-2

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 25 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

02-03-09-11-13-19

Check Cash 25 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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When are the West Virginia Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 11 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:59 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lotto America: 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Daily 3, 4: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.
  • Cash 25: 6:59 p.m. ET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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