Game Preview: UCF vs. West Virginia men’s basketball
West Virginia has their regular season finale as they host UCF on Saturday from the WVU Coliseum.
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WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: West Virginia leads 2-1
LAST MEETING: Feb. 20, 2024 in Morgantown — WVU 77, UCF 67
TELEVISION: ESPN+ (Pete Sousa / Sean Harrington)
TIP-OFF: 5:00 p.m. ET
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COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
18-12 (1st season at WVU), 168-67 (7th season overall)
Johnny Dawkins, UCF
164-118 (9th season at UCF), 320-232 (17th season overall)
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LAST TIME OUT
UCF enters the game off an 83-70 victory over Oklahoma State this week. The Knights had their largest margin of victory in a game since Jan. 25. Darius Johnson scored 36 points while Keyshawn Hall scored 18 points. UCF shot 41 percent from the field and knocked down 10 3-pointers.
West Virginia enters Saturday off a 71-69 win over Utah on the road this week. Javon Small scored 18 points and had seven assists as well as the Mountaineers forced 16 turnovers leading to 13 points. WVU held Utah to shoot 38 percent from the field while the Mountaineers shot 45.6 percent from the field.
By The Numbers — UCF (16-14, 7-12 Big 12)
UCF comes into the contest ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 79.0 points per game on the season. Over their last 10 games, the Knights have reached that mark five times and they are 2-3 in those games. UCF has won their last three games and averaged 79.7 points per game. The Knights are 10th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage, and they are last in team field goal percentage, making 42.1 percent of their shots on the season.
Defensively, the Knights are giving up 80.1 points per game, which is last in the Big 12. UCF’s opponents have scored at least 90 points eight times this season. UCF is holding opponents to shoot 45.4 percent from the field, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
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UCF is 13th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin, and ninth in turnover margin.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Darius Johnson, Mikey Williams, Tyler Henricks, Keyshawn Hall, and Moustapha Thiam. This lineup has been used 11.4 percent of the time this season.
Hall leads the Big 12 in scoring with 18.9 points per game, and he’s also leading the Knights in rebounding, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Hall has 178 free throws this season, which is most in the Big 12.
UCF comes into the game ranked 78th in the NET and 77th in KenPom. This is a Quad 1 game for the Knights and they are 3-10 in such games.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (18-12, 9-10 Big 12)
West Virginia is currently averaging 68.3 points per game this season, which is 15th in the Big 12, but they are only allowing 64.7 points per game this season, which is second in the Big 12. The Mountaineers are shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, but their opponents are only shooting 40.8 percent from the field this season.
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From beyond the arc, West Virginia is shooting 32.7 percent, which is 11th in the league, but they have the fifth-most 3-point field goals made at 8.6 per game. During Big 12 play though, WVU ranks 11th in 3-point field goal percentage, but they drop to 6th in threes made per game. WVU’s opponents are shooting 29.5 percent from beyond the arc on the season, which is best in the Big 12.
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 21.5 percent of the time over WVU’s last five games.
Small is second in the Big 12 in scoring, at 18.2 points per game. He’s 13th in field goal percentage, third in free throw percentage, and is fourth in the league in assists per game.
West Virginia is ranked 49th in the NET, and 52nd by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 3 game for WVU as the Mountaineers are 3-0 in such games this year.
Standings Implications
West Virginia has a chance to get into the top eight of the Big 12 standings with a win. They are in a three-way tie for eighth place in the league, which would earn them a bye in the Big 12 Tournament next week. WVU is tied with TCU and Kansas State. TCU faces Colorado on the road this weekend, while Kansas State faces Iowa State.
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UCF is tied with Cincinnati at 7-12 in the Big 12 standings, tied for 12th in the league standings. The Bearcats face Oklahoma State this weekend.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Governor Patrick Morrisey has appointed a new member of the state House of Delegates.
Shane Thomas Stack, of Triadelphia, was appointed Tuesday to represent District 4. Stack replaces former Delegate Bill Flanigan who resigned to join the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia following his election to the Division 2 seat.
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“Shane Stack is an outstanding choice to represent the families and communities of the fourth district,” Morrisey said in a release. “With his deep roots in the local community, his background as a business owner, and his proven experience managing municipal finances, Shane understands what it takes to support economic growth and advocate for working West Virginians. He will serve his constituents well in Charleston.”
In Morrisey’s release, it said that Stack has a diverse background in small business ownership, municipal finance, and higher education administration. Stack currently is the owner, licensed auctioneer, and certified appraiser for Frio Stack & Associates, as well as the owner of Island Pawn & Gun.
Stack previously worked as the Town Treasurer for West Liberty.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in General Business from West Liberty University.
MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Sentencing is underway for Timothy Kennedy, the man convicted of murdering West Virginia State Police Trooper Cory Maynard.
Trooper Maynard was shot to death in June 2023.
The jury found Kennedy guilty on all counts: first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree disarming a law enforcement officer, and two counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Shannon Litton has has that, plus your other top stories for Tuesday, July 7th.
