My Fiver on WVU's victory over NC Central last night at the Coliseum...
1. It was great to see Joseph Yesufu erupt for a quick 11 points to blow the game wide open in the 1st half. He finished with 14 point on 4-7 from "3"....and I gotta admit - I didn't think he had it in him to be a scorer off the bench. I hope he gained some confidence last night and keeps this up...
2. +15 on the glass, with Amari Hansberry and Eduoardo Andrew combining for 20 rebounds, 10 offensive. On a night where we didn't have our best stuff offensively, and were obviously missing Tucker DeVries, it was great to clean up on the boards.
3. Every time I hear it, it just blows my mind that WVU is amongst the nation's leaders in blocked shots. I mean, we are a very small ballclub. But, the blocked shots thing stems directly from the tenacity which this teams exhibits on the defensive end of the floor. Sencire Harris exhibits it the most, followed by Javon Small, and everyone else just feeds off of it. Tucker DeVries has been surprisingly good on "D" as well. When we hired Darian DeVries, I'll admit that I was looking forward the most to his offensive sets and modern scheme. However, DD's best attribute may be the defensive intensity and connectiveness that he has imparted in this squad. Lord knows that Gonzaga doesn't want to see us again in March because of it.
4. Tucker DeVries missing effects Javon Small the most. Defenses key on Tucker a ton, and his player gravity creates wide open spaces for Small to work. Last night, NC Central was focused instead on shutting down Small, and it led to a 4-12 shooting night. The good news is that our bench stepped up, and Jon Powell loves shooting in the Coliseum (4 treys, 17 points overall). Hope we get Tucker back soon, and ditto Jayden Stone.
5. 7-2 and squarely "in" as a 10-seed in the latest bracketology. We have a couple more breathers vs. Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst before traveling to the Phog to face Kansas on New Year's Eve. Before last week, I was dreading the December 31 game at KU. Now, I gotta admit, so long as we have Tucker back in uniform, I'm looking forward to it. Like Geto Boys said, My Mind must be Playin' Tricks on Me, because I think we have a chance at Lawrence.
1. It was great to see Joseph Yesufu erupt for a quick 11 points to blow the game wide open in the 1st half. He finished with 14 point on 4-7 from "3"....and I gotta admit - I didn't think he had it in him to be a scorer off the bench. I hope he gained some confidence last night and keeps this up...
2. +15 on the glass, with Amari Hansberry and Eduoardo Andrew combining for 20 rebounds, 10 offensive. On a night where we didn't have our best stuff offensively, and were obviously missing Tucker DeVries, it was great to clean up on the boards.
3. Every time I hear it, it just blows my mind that WVU is amongst the nation's leaders in blocked shots. I mean, we are a very small ballclub. But, the blocked shots thing stems directly from the tenacity which this teams exhibits on the defensive end of the floor. Sencire Harris exhibits it the most, followed by Javon Small, and everyone else just feeds off of it. Tucker DeVries has been surprisingly good on "D" as well. When we hired Darian DeVries, I'll admit that I was looking forward the most to his offensive sets and modern scheme. However, DD's best attribute may be the defensive intensity and connectiveness that he has imparted in this squad. Lord knows that Gonzaga doesn't want to see us again in March because of it.
4. Tucker DeVries missing effects Javon Small the most. Defenses key on Tucker a ton, and his player gravity creates wide open spaces for Small to work. Last night, NC Central was focused instead on shutting down Small, and it led to a 4-12 shooting night. The good news is that our bench stepped up, and Jon Powell loves shooting in the Coliseum (4 treys, 17 points overall). Hope we get Tucker back soon, and ditto Jayden Stone.
5. 7-2 and squarely "in" as a 10-seed in the latest bracketology. We have a couple more breathers vs. Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst before traveling to the Phog to face Kansas on New Year's Eve. Before last week, I was dreading the December 31 game at KU. Now, I gotta admit, so long as we have Tucker back in uniform, I'm looking forward to it. Like Geto Boys said, My Mind must be Playin' Tricks on Me, because I think we have a chance at Lawrence.
