Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
Virginia
Game Preview: BYU vs. West Virginia men's basketball
Game Preview: BYU vs. West Virginia men’s basketball
West Virginia looks to go 2-0 on a two-game homestand as they host BYU on Tuesday night at the WVU Coliseum.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: BYU leads 2-1
LAST MEETING: Feb. 3, 2024 in Morgantown — BYU 86, WVU 73
TELEVISION: CBSSN (Tom McCarthy/Chris Walker/Emily Proud)
TIP-OFF: 7:00 p.m. ET
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
15-8 (1st season at WVU), 165-63 (7th season overall)
COACH, School
15-8 (1st season at BYU, 1st season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
BYU enters Tuesday coming off an 84-64 loss to Cincinnati on the road. The Cougars made 47 percent of their shots, but made only eight total shots in the second half against the Bearcats. BYU also shot 10-for-29 from three in the loss. Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 15 points scored.
West Virginia enters Tuesday off a 72-61 win over Utah on Saturday. The Mountaineers did it without Javon Small lighting up the stat sheet from the floor. Small was held to only 14 points, with nine of those points coming at the free throw line. WVU went 9-for-24 from beyond the arc, while they forced 10 turnovers leading to 16 points. Amani Hansberry led WVU with 17 points and seven rebounds.
By The Numbers — BYU (15-8, 6-6 Big 12)
BYU is fourth in the Big 12 in points per game at 80 per game, but in each of their six Big 12 losses, the Cougars have not scored more than 74 points and have scored more than 67 only twice. In their wins during league play, they are averaging 83 points per game.
Defensively, the Cougars are allowing teams to score 69.2 points per game on the season, which is 8th in the Big 12. During conference play, BYU is allowing 73.3 points per game, which is 12th in the league.
BYU has the best field goal percentage in the Big 12 during conference play, shooting 47.6 percent. From beyond the arc, they are the second-best shooting team during conference play, as they are making 36.9 percent of their 3-pointers. BYU’s defense ranks 11th in the league in field goal percentage during conference play, while their 3-point defense ranks 13th in the league when playing conference opponents.
BYU ranks 9th in the country in effective field goal percentage, while their offense ranks 17th as a whole in adjusted offensive efficiency. Defensively, BYU is 8th in offensive rebound percentage as a defense in the country.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Egor Demin, Trevin Knell, Richie Saunders, Mawot Mag, and Keba Keita. They are playing 31.2 percent of the possessions together.
Saunders leads BYU and is 9th in the Big 12 this season averaging 15.1 points per game. Demin is second on BYU in scoring averaging 11.1 points per game. Keita leads BYU in rebounding, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game.
BYU comes into the game ranked 41st in the NET and 37th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for BYU. They are 2-5 in such games this season, and are 3-3 in Quad 2 games.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (15-7, 6-6 Big 12)
West Virginia is averaging 69.4 points per game this season, which is 15th in the Big 12. Over WVU’s last eight games, the Mountaineers have only surpassed this mark once, and it was on Saturday against Utah. WVU’s opponents are averaging 63.6 points per game this season, and their opponents are averaging 63 points per game over the last eight games as well.
West Virginia is shooting 43 percent from the field, which is 13th in the Big 12, while their opponents are shooting 40.2 percent from the field, which is 4th in the league. West Virginia’s offense has eclipsed the 43-percent mark in each of their past four games. WVU’s opponents have eclipsed their season average in seven of the last eight games against the Mountaineers.
WVU is shooting 33.1 percent from beyond the arc this season, which is 12th in the Big 12 this year, while WVU’s 3-point defense is the best in the Big 12 at 28.8 percent. WVU is 8th in three-point defense by KenPom, while they are 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Amani Hansberry. This lineup has been used 21.4 percent of the time.
WVU’s leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 18.9 points per game this season. Hansberry leads WVU in rebounding with 6.0 per game while Small is second with 4.5 per game.
West Virginia is ranked 38th in the NET, and 45th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 2 game for WVU as the Mountaineers are 1-2 in such games this year.
Standings Implications
Both BYU and West Virginia are 6-6 in league play this year. If the season ended today, they would be in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Big 12, with Kansas State being the other 6-6 team.
Houston and Arizona are tops in the Big 12 at 11-1, Texas Tech is 9-3, Iowa State is 8-4 and Kansas and Baylor are 7-5.
Below both teams is Utah and TCU at 5-7, Cincinnati, UCF, Oklahoma State at 4-8, Arizona State at 3-9, and Colorado at 0-12. This week, WVU plays BYU and Baylor, while BYU plays the Mountaineers and then Kansas State at home.
———-
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
-
West Virginia33 seconds agoWest Virginia to conduct comprehensive review of all bridges as state targets repairs
-
Wyoming6 minutes agoNWSR issues Flood Watch advisory for portions of Central, Northwest Wyoming
-
Crypto13 minutes agoDeFi’s Newest Threat: How Malicious Liquidity Pools Are Trick-Quoting Ethereum and Polygon Users
-
Finance19 minutes agoGold Purchases Accelerate as Dollar Confidence Wanes
-
Fitness25 minutes agoStrength training over decades linked to longer life – Harvard Health
-
Movie Reviews37 minutes agoMovie Review: “The Odyssey” by Nolan
-
World49 minutes ago
US strikes bridges and collapses a tower at a key port as its Iran campaign expands
-
Lifestyle2 hours agoAn eco-journalist takes on a Big Tech in this modern twist on the heist novel
