–Different level of competition, clearly, but West Virginia bounced back exactly the way that they needed to in this one and raced out to a 45-22 halftime lead and never really looked back. This team got hit in the mouth on the road at Pittsburgh, so it was good to see them put that behind them and do what they needed to do at home against an opponent that they should control. The Mountaineers led the entire game and it was really never in doubt.
–West Virginia was at 1.295 points per possession before the starters were pulled late in the second half and were at 50-percent from the floor and 45-percent from three. That’ll do. West Virginia actually finished at 1.303 for the game, 51.8-percent from the field and 48-percent from three. The ball movement was much better.
–West Virginia held Iona to 24-percent shooting and 21 turnovers. They cashed those turnovers into 26 points but did have 10 steals and 11 blocks. The last time the Mountaineers hit double digits in that category was in 2021 against Pitt. It was a solid effort on that end and the Mountaineers were active at times although the score took the intensity level down. But again, this isn’t Pitt.
–West Virginia didn’t need as much from Tucker DeVries tonight as he only finished with 13 points, but he had 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. He just finds a way to make plays and I’m going to take that Pitt game as an off night for him and the rest of the team.
–Javon Small was good in this one but it almost surprised me to see he only had one turnover. At times it seems that he’s loose with the ball, but I’m nitpicking here because he scored 23 points, had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 turnover. That’s a fantasy basketball full stat line. He is really good when he's aggressive and it showed tonight. This team is so much better when he’s rolling and it gives them another quite capable option.
–Jonathan Powell had 11 points in 4 minutes when he came into the game and was an instant spark plug. He continues to not look like a freshman and plays with a ton of confidence. He doesn’t carry himself like this was only his fourth college basketball game and the future is bright here. He has a really nice looking shot and isn’t bashful when it comes to pulling the trigger.
–It was good to see Amani Hansberry get back in the mix with 10 points and 9 rebounds, including two of those pick and pop threes. But he’s got to be better with the ball with 5 turnovers. He did have two steals though and really like his overall skill set.
–I just love the confidence that KJ Tenner plays with, too. He is just fearless and while he’s still figuring some things out and needs to get bigger, he’s going to help this team this year.
–Toby Okani chipped in with 7 points, 6 rebounds a block and a steal. He was +36 and while out of control at times on offense, really makes a difference on defense. He also was 3-6 from the line which sure beats the results of the last game. He really made his impact felt on the offensive glass.
–Eduardo Andre is limited offensively but plays his role well. He had 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in this one. He is the best rim protector on this roster by quite a wide margin – now what does that mean? We’ll find out if that matters against tougher competition.
–The Mountaineers won the rebounding edge 39-36. But on the downside, Iona had 18 offensive rebounds which continues to be an issue. Also shared the ball well and got a lot of open looks which they were able to hit. A total of 15 assists on 28 made baskets.
–Downside was 16 turnovers. That isn’t going to cut it.
–This was fun, but up next is going to be a massive challenge against Gonzaga. They look fantastic so far this year so the Mountaineers are going to need to play their best and then some. But it is definitely a good experience heading up with the Battle 4 Atlantis and we’ll get a better idea if that Pitt game is a sign of things to come or simply just a really bad basketball game over those three contests. Right now this team has shown the ability to beat up on bad teams but things are about to get real in a hurry.
