The Gonzaga men’s basketball team is set for three games in as many days down in The Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, starting with a matchup against West Virginia at Imperial Arena on Wednesday.

The Bulldogs (5-0) head into the multi-team event already boasting wins over Baylor, Arizona State and San Diego State to start the 2024-25 campaign. In their last outing, they held Long Beach State to a season-low in points to come away with an 84-41 victory at the McCarthey Athletic Center last week. Five players scored in double-figures, though their head coach was more impressed with the effort they showed defensively to hold the Beach to 17-of-54 (31.5%) from the field and 2-of-20 (10%) from 3-point range.

Offensively, the Zags rank No. 1 in the country in efficiency and boast the lowest turnover rate in the country, according to KenPom.com. Five players put up more than 11 points per outing, led by Ike at 14.6 points.

“They’re elite at a lot of different things,” West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries said of the Zags on Tuesday. “Very good team, very balanced team. Tremendous challenge to try to slow them down as people have seen, as they’ve gotten off to a great start with this early season. But again I think they’re they’re certainly deserving of their early season accolades and rankings.”

Javon Small, a 6-foot-3 senior who transferred from Oklahoma State, paces West Virginia at 15.5 points and 4.0 assists per outing. He’s 20-of-47 (42.6%) from the field and 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the 3-point line. After recording five steals in the 43-point win over Iona, Small is top 10 in the country in steals per game (3.0) and ranks top 25 in steal percentage (5.5%) according to KenPom. The South Bend, Indiana, native also finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block to lead the Mountaineers to an 86-43 win over Iona.

Senior wing Tucker DeVries, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year who followed his father to Morgantown, West Virginia, this offseason, chips in 13.5 points and 2.5 steals per game. The Drake transfer excels at disrupting passing lanes and can knock down 3-pointers (11-of-27, 40.7% this season).

“Pressure defense, very athletic and handsy and good rim protection,” Mark Few said of the Mountaineers. “And then very opportunistic on the offensive end. They got a great offensive player in DeVries, but they got some really nice shooters, so, kind of all the above.”

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Who: Gonzaga and West Virginia tip off the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis

When: 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. EST | Wednesday, Nov. 27

Where: Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort | Nassau, Bahamas

TV: ESPN

Betting: Gonzaga -15.5 (-110); O/U 155.5 (-110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

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After spending time watching Gonzaga closely, West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries feels like he has a great feel for Bulldogs senior guard Ryan Nembhard as he and the Mountaineers prepare for their matchup in the Battle 4 Atlantis event on Wednesday from The Bahamas.

DeVries, who was an assistant coach at Creighton from 2001-2018, has an idea of what to expect from Mark Few’s bunch based on the first time DeVries saw Few’s program up close in December 2017, when the Bluejays visited Spokane for a nonconference game at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Seven years later, DeVries noted the similarities between that group and the 2024-25 squad helmed by Nembhard.

Still, DeVries knows slowing down the Bob Cousy Award contender is no easy task.

“I mean he’s just a great player,” DeVries said of Nembhard on Tuesday. “He’s so well rounded and just terrific, unselfish and knows how to lead a team.”

Nembhard has the Bulldogs (5-0) operating at a high level to start the 2024-25 campaign. Gonzaga ranks No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and boasts the lowest turnover rate in the country, according to KenPom.com, while its Canadian point guard ranks top 10 in total assists (47), assists per game (9.4) and assist to turnover ratio (47 to six, 7.83). Nembhard is also 7-of-16 (43.8%) from 3-point range and has excelled at drawing fouls. He’s 18-of-21 (85.7%) from the charity stripe and is on pace to nearly double his free throw rate from last season.

Nembhard’s made a jump from his junior year against some pretty good competition as well, having already diced up three teams that rank in the top 100 in defensive efficiency, including a top-five defense in San Diego State (32 assists to five turnovers against those opponents). The Battle 4 Atlantis will likely be more of the same, starting with a matchup against West Virginia senior guard Javon Small.

Through four games, Small paces the Mountaineers at 15.5 points and 4.0 assists per game. He’s 20-of-47 (42.6%) from the field and 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the 3-point line. After recording five steals in the 43-point win over Iona, Small is top 10 in the country in steals per game (3.0) and ranks top 25 in steal percentage (5.5%) according to KenPom. The South Bend, Indiana, native also finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block to lead the Mountaineers to an 86-43 win over Iona.

“Connectivity is really more of a team thing, but Javon certainly is the guy that at both ends of the floor,” DeVries said of Small after the game. “He’s either one of the guys defensively, guarding the ball, dictating talk, or offensively, getting us started into whatever action we’re trying to do.”

Nembhard’s coach expects to see a “very athletic and handsy” West Virginia squad that’s also opportunistic on the defensive end of the floor. Small, along with 6-foot-7 senior Tucker DeVries (2.5 steals per game), helps create that identity with his tendency to overplay passing lanes and come away with steals for breakaway dunks the other way. He might not be up for the national awards that Nembhard is in contention for, though the 6-foot-3 Small could present challenges for the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor if he gets into a rhythm.

“He’s a good player,” Nembhard said of Small. “He can shoot it, score the ball pretty well … so we got our scout on him and we’ll do our best to take advantage of that.”

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No one truly cares to hear about a “strong finish” when the season has been a complete disappointment, but that’s all West Virginia fans can hope for at this point with a 6-5 record entering the regular season finale in Lubbock.

Even with a win over Texas Tech, the mood around the WVU football program won’t change much, and there will still be a lot of conversation about whether or not Neal Brown is the right man for the job. With the distractions of the uncertain future and some guys potentially already looking to hit the portal, you have to wonder how engaged they will be after making the long trip out to West Texas.

According to the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) matchup predictor, West Virginia has just a 42.1% chance to end the season with a win while Texas Tech has a 57.9% chance.

Texas Tech got out to a pretty strong start, winning five of its first six games, with their only loss coming to Washington State – a game in which running back Tahj Brooks did not play. They’ve hit some choppy waters of late, alternating wins and losses over the last month, but they do have an impressive road win over Iowa State under their belt.

As for West Virginia, playing away from Milan Puskar Stadium has been a good thing this season. The schedule plays a big part in that, with all of the tough games occurring at home and the less challenging contests taking place on the road. In previous years under head coach Neal Brown, the Mountaineers have not fared well whatsoever away from Morgantown. They’ll finish undefeated in such games in league play if they can pull off the win on Saturday.

As successful as West Virginia has been on the road this season, I’m a little shocked they are getting as much love as they are. I figured Texas Tech would be at 60% or higher, especially considering how explosive their offense is. That being said, it’s in the neighborhood of what I expected.

The FPI had been pretty spot-on for much of the season, at least when it comes to West Virginia. However, it is on a three-game slide, incorrectly picking the matchups with Cincinnati, Baylor, and UCF. Through 11 games, it has a 7-4 record, with the only other incorrect pick being Oklahoma State over West Virginia earlier in the year.

West Virginia and Texas Tech will tee the ball up at 12 p.m. EST and will be televised on FS1.

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