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.
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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 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
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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The No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (15-1, 5-0 Big 12) will try to extend a 12-game winning run when visiting the No. 25 West Virginia Mountaineers (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) on Saturday, January 18, 2025 at WVU Coliseum. It airs at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN+.
In its previous game, Iowa State were winners at home over Kansas 74-57, with Curtis Jones (25 PTS, 2 STL, 52.94 FG%, 5-6 from 3PT) and Dishon Jackson (17 PTS, 44.44 FG%) the standout performers.
In its previous game, West Virginia lost to Houston, 70-54, on the road. Its top scorers were Amani Hansberry (16 PTS, 75 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT) and Javon Small (13 PTS, 8 AST, 36.36 FG%, 3-5 from 3PT).
Here’s what you need to get ready for Saturday’s college hoops action.
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Iowa State Cyclones vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Game day: Saturday, January 18, 2025
Game time: 5:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live stream: ESPN+ – Watch NOW
NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Lines
Spread: Iowa State -6.5
Total: 137.5
College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 12:59 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
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Del. Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, will no longer serve as chair of the House Judiciary Committee this session, according to a statement released Friday by House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay. Del. J.B. Akers, R-Kanawha
Del. J.B. Akers, R-Kanawha, who was announced earlier this month to be the vice chair, will now chair the major committee while Del. Jordan Maynor, R-Raleigh, will serve as vice chair.
“Del. Akers has acclimated quickly to the legislative process and has shown a thoughtful approach to consensus-building that will serve us well,” Hanshaw said in an emailed statement.
Hanshaw said his decision followed a “recent conversation” with Steele, who recognized he needed to “spend more time focused on matters outside the Capitol building,” according to Hanshaw’s statement.
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Del. Jordan Maynor, R-Raleigh
Notably, the changeup comes after recordings of 911 calls placed in December by Steele’s wife were sent to media and legislative leadership on Jan. 7 — the same day Steele was named to head the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee can be tasked with vetting bills impacting the criminal justice system, including penalties for domestic violence.
In those 911 calls, Brianne Steele told a 911 operator that her husband, Brandon Steele, was drunkenly handling assault rifles and screaming at people in their neighborhood on Dec. 23.
She said he was “extremely agitated and very, very drunk” and that their three children, who were home at the time of the incident, were “terrified.”
According to a police report from the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, officers arrived at Steele’s residence following Brianne Steele’s second call. No arrests were made.
Brandon Steele, a lawyer by trade, told police that he was worried about “possible threats regarding trials that he is working” and admitted that he did approach two vehicles driving in front of their house while carrying AR-15 style rifles. The occupants in the first vehicle said they were looking at Christmas lights while those in the second quickly drove away, Brandon Steele told police.
Brianne Steele said she didn’t see any cars in front of their home that night. She did see her husband walk in and out of the house while carrying the guns and “screaming.” She told law enforcement that she believed her husband to be “extremely paranoid” and a “severe alcoholic,” though at no time did he threaten her or the children.
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When asked about the incident — which has been verified through both a police report and recordings of two individual 911 calls — Brandon Steele told West Virginia Watch that the “rumors being spread” around it were “vicious and disheartening.”
In a joint interview with MetroNews, both Brianne and Brandon Steele spoke about the events on Dec. 23, 2024, where they agreed that Brandon’s behavior was poor but noted that he was not arrested for his actions.
“As much as I regret the 23rd, I wasn’t arrested. I wasn’t charged with anything. This getting spun into some domestic incident — that didn’t happen,” Brandon Steele said. “I felt threatened and approached a threat. Did I do it in the best way? Absolutely not. I really wish I could take that back, but I can’t. I’ve got to own it.”
The 2025 regular legislative session will start Feb. 12.
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