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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While playing three games in three days can sound tiresome for some coaches, West Virginia men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries looks forward to a postseason-type atmosphere when his Mountaineers take on No. 3 Gonzaga to tip off the Battle 4 Atlantis from The Bahamas on Wednesday.

“I love [multi-team events] for that reason because it gives you kind of a preview of the Big 12 Tournament,” DeVries said following the Mountaineers’ 86-43 win over Iona on Nov. 20. “So you get a little feel for that tournament type environment, that tournament feel of seeing how guys respond after a night. They’ve guaranteed these three games, but we’re gonna have a real good idea — like a maybe we need to sub a little bit more — or whatever it might be, and be able to get some feedback from this tournament.”

DeVries, who made the move down to Morgantown, West Virginia, after guiding Drake to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons, has a lot to learn about his team before they head to Kansas City, Missouri, for the Big 12 conference tournament in March. Along with a new environment, DeVries brought in an entirely fresh batch of faces for his first year at the helm of the Mountaineers men’s basketball program, which went 9-23 (4-14 Big 12) under Josh Eilert in 2023-24. West Virginia’s transfer portal class, headlined by Darian’s son Tucker DeVries (21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds at Drake last season) ranked No. 15 in the country according to EvanMiya.com.

Through the first four games, Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small leads the Mountaineers at 15.5 points per game and is one of four guards expected to start against the Zags. The senior guard led the way with 23 points in the victory over the Gaels, as West Virginia went 15-of-31 (48.4%) from the 3-point line and held its opposition to just 14-of-59 (23.7%) from the field, including 5-of-19 (26.3%) from distance. 

While winning by 43 points is quite the response to a 24-point loss against Pittsburgh, DeVries knows his team not only had room to improve, but that his players look forward to the challenges that come with facing the Bulldogs.

“It’s an opportunity,” DeVries said. “I mean it’s a great game for us, a great challenge for us. We understand between now and next week, when we toss it up in The Bahamas, we got to get better at some things and we know that we’re not going to be a complete fix by next Wednesday, but we got to continue to grow as a team in certain areas. And I think our guys are pretty motivated to do that and just continue to get better.”

Gonzaga (5-0) enters the matchup coming off an 84-41 victory over Long Beach State at home last week. The Bulldogs already boast victories over No. 17 Baylor (101-63), Arizona State (88-80) and San Diego State (80-67) and rank No. 1 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com. Five players average 11 or more points, led by 6-foot-9 forward Graham Ike at 14.6 points.

The winner of Wednesday’s matchup will take on either No. 14 Indiana (4-0) or Louisville (3-1) on Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m. PST on either ESPN or ESPN2. The consolation game will be at 11:30 a.m. PST.

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