West Virginia
Game Preview: West Virginia men's basketball vs. No 2 Iowa State
Game Preview: West Virginia men’s basketball vs. No 2 Iowa State
West Virginia returns home after a two-game road swing when they host No. 2 Iowa State at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: West Virginia leads 14-10
LAST MEETING: Feb. 24, 2024 in Ames — Iowa State 71, WVU 64
TELEVISION: ESPN+ (Chuckie Kempf / King McClure)
Tip-off: 5:00 PM ET
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
12-4 (1st season at WVU), 162-59 (7th season overall)
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
85-36 (4th season at ISU), 184-99 (9th season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
Iowa State enters Saturday, coming off a 74-57 win over Kansas on Wednesday. The Cyclones held the Jayhawks to 41 percent from the field, forcing 17 turnovers, which led to 23 points. Iowa State shot 41 percent from the field but went 8-for-13 from beyond the arc. Curtis Jones made just his second start of the season as he scored 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Dishon Jackson added 17 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Joshua Jackson had 10 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
West Virginia enters Saturday having also played on Wednesday night but was on the wrong side of a 70-54 loss to No. 10 Houston on the road. The Mountaineers trailed by 13 at halftime but cut it to a one-possession game at one point in the second half and had the Cougar lead down to single digits multiple times. From that point on though Houston would take over, as WVU’s leading scorer Javon Small was held scoreless in the second half. Amani Hansberry led WVU with 16 points, and the Mountaineers’ 12 turnovers led to 25 points for the Cougars.
By The Numbers — Iowa State (15-1, 5-0 Big 12)
Iowa State enters Saturday on the nation’s longest win streak, currently sitting at 12 games.
Iowa State is averaging 85.4 points per game this year, which is best in the Big 12 and 8th in the country. Defensively, they are 5th in the conference in points per game, allowing 65.3 per game.
Iowa State is shooting 49.5 percent from the field which is the second-best in the Big 12 and is 11th in the country. They are also shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, but in their five Big 12 games, that number is at 37.4 percent. Defensively, Iowa State is holding their opponents to 31.9 percent shooting from three, which is 8th in the Big 12.
Iowa State has the best turnover margin in the Big 12 at +5.69. They’re forcing 15.8 turnovers per game on average, while they are only turning the ball over 10.1 times per game which is the second-best in the league.
Iowa State’s only loss is to No. 1 Auburn, a game they lost 83-81.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson, and Dishon Jackson. This lineup has been used 13.3 percent of the time while Momcilovic is currently out with an injury.
The second most-used lineup over their last five games has been Gilbert, Lipsey, Curtis Jones, Jefferson, and Brndton Chatfield, with this being used 12.3 percent of the time.
Jones is the leading scorer in the Big 12 and ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Jones has started only two games for Iowa State but is playing the second-most minutes on the team at 29.1 per game. Joshua Jefferson leads ISU in rebounding at 8.2 per game. Iowa State has six players averaging 9.9 points per game or more this season.
Iowa State comes into the game ranked 5th in the NET and 4th by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for Iowa State. The Cyclones are 5-1 in Quad 1 games this season.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12)
West Virginia is scoring 73.2 points per game this season but giving up 64.3 points per game this season, which is fourth-best in the Big 12. They are 13th in the league in field goal percentage at 43.6 percent but are third in the league in opponent field goal percentage at 38.9 percent.
WVU is shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc, and opponents are shooting just 29.2 percent from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers this season, ranking third in the conference and 22nd in the nation. West Virginia is forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and is turning the ball over 11.2 times per game.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Eduardo Andre. This lineup has been used 28.6 percent of the time.
WVU’s leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 19.4 points per game this season. Amani Hansberry leads WVU in rebounds with 5.6 per game.
In WVU’s four losses this season, the Mountaineers have averaged 11.5 turnovers per game and are shooting 40.5 percent from the field. In WVU’s 12 wins this season, they are shooting 44.6 percent from the field.
West Virginia is ranked 33rd in the NET, and 41st by KenPom. This is considered a Quad 1 game for WVU and they are 3-4 in such games this season.
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Every game is extremely important from here on out for West Virginia, but tonight’s matchup with Cincinnati is one they cannot afford to drop. The Bearcats are one of the weaker teams in the league, and with Kansas on deck, it’s one Ross Hodge and Co. have to get.
Do they get the job done? Here are our picks for tonight’s contest.
Schuyler Callihan: West Virginia 64, Cincinnati 59
With or without Brenen Lorient (concussion protocol), I believe West Virginia is the better team, especially at home. Sure, they looked overwhelmed last Friday in Ames against Iowa State, but they won’t be the last team that gets the belt to the backside from the Cyclones.
The one area that has been problematic this season defensively for the Mountaineers has been on the perimeter. We saw Milan Momcilovic knock down eight triples on just eight attempts a handful of days ago. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great shooter and made some highly contested shots, but it’s been a recurring issue for WVU all year.
The good news? Cincinnati isn’t built to beat you shooting from range. Coming into this game, they ranked 263rd nationally in three-point shooting, hitting just 31.6% of their shots. Couple that with the fact that Cincinnati is somehow a worse free-throw shooting team than West Virginia by a full five percentage points, and you get a fairly confident pick from me in the Old Gold and Blue.
Christopher Hall: West Virginia 67, Cincinnati 66
West Virginia has remained perfect inside Hope Coliseum, and the unblemished home record will likely be intact when the Mountaineers host Kansas on Saturday.
West Virginia has struggled and is enduring a five-game losing streak against Power Four opponents after falling to Iowa State to open the Big 12 Conference. Although the Mountaineers did notch a win against Pitt at home, for the lone win against P4 competition.
Cincinnati is in a similar situation, although the Bearcats’ start to the season can be summed up in a 64-56 loss to Eastern Michigan. The absence of senior guard Jizzle James for the first ten games for personal reasons, coupled with Brazilian perimeter shooter Lucas Atauri and returning forward Jalen Haynes absent from the line up have caused early issues.
The Bearcats proved they could compete with one of the best teams in the country after a seven-point loss to Houston on Saturday.
West Virginia will need to tighten up its perimeter defense against James and Day Day Thomas – both are shooting over 40% from three, while WVU senior guard Honor Huff will have to work a little harder to find his spot from deep against one of the best three-point defenses in the league.
The game will be a defensive battle, which favors the Mountaineers at home. WVU may be without senior starting forward Brenen Lorient, but the comfy confines of the Coliseum and the crowd will lift the Mountaineers down the stretch for the 67-66 win.
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Former Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has committed to West Virginia, ESPN reported.
Hawkins and his brother Maliek Hawkins, a cornerback, are both expected to play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown next season.
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Hawkins played in nine games across two seasons for the Sooners. He threw for 950 yards and nine touchdowns. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Maliek Hawkins has four seasons of eligibility left. He had previously been a top recruit himself.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — This week, West Virginia hunters will get a chance to try hunting the way the original Mountaineers did it. The Mountaineer Heritage season is open from Thursday through Sunday.
The season allows hunters to use only primitive implements. Sidelock or flintlock muzzleloading rifles or pistols are the only firearms allowed. In-line muzzleloaders are not legal for the Heritage Season nor are scopes. Archery enthusiasts are allowed only long bows or recurve bows. You’re compound bow will have to hang on its hook for this time.
“It’s a special season and it’s kind of an all encompassing big game season,” said Vinnie Johnson, Biologist with the West Virginia DNR.
The season enables hunters to kill a deer, bear, or turkey provided they hunt with one of those primitive firearms or bows. The season started several years ago and has become a big hit with sportsmen for a variety of reasons. For some it cuts the monotony of cabin fever and gives them a chance to get back into the woods well after hunting season. The season also enables hunters to go after big game with snow on the ground which doesn’t always happen during the regular fall seasons.
The snowfall could potentially make killing a bear less likely, but not always.
“It really depends on where you’re at,” Johnson explained in a recent edition of West Virginia Outdoors. “Some of our areas that are heavy bear country, there’s still a good opportunity you’re going to see a bear.”
The bumper crops of mast across the West Virginia landscape this year will also keep bears out of hibernation longer. The sunshine and warm weather forecasted into the weekend may also be a plus for keeping bears active and moving in the upcoming season.
“If there’s food on the landscape, they’re gong to be out moving around. They go into their dens when there’s no food left and they need to reserve for the remainder of the winter season,” he added.
Killing a big buck may be tricky. Some have already started to drop antlers. The season allows for either sex, but for those who have already killed two bucks from this past fall’s hunting seasons, you cannot kill another buck. If a hunter shoots an antlerless buck, which turns out to be a buck that already dropped antlers, hunters can check that as an antlerless deer.
Turkeys are also legal. Unlike deer, turkeys and bears, do not count against the bag limit from last year. However, hunters to need to have their 2026 hunting license. Although a lot of the purists like to not only hunt with an old time rifle, they also like to dress the part and will go into the woods wearing buckskins. Primitive garb or not, modern safety is still the rule and since it’s a firearms season for deer, you’ll need to wear blaze orange.
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