--West Virginia played not one, not two but three overtime games in a three-day span and won two of them going 2-1 in the Battle 4 Atlantis and finishing third place after knocking off Arizona 83-76. It was clear that this Mountaineers team was gassed at times, but showed a lot of fight on both ends of the floor and it was impressive to see them take control in overtime after giving up the late lead in regulation. This basketball team really fought and scratched in this one despite what you know was tired legs. Head coach Darian DeVries has continued to ask his team to be gritty and tough, well these three games definitely showed that at its finest. The Mountaineers are now 5-2 on the season and relied on a lot of players to play heavy minutes to do it.
--The Mountaineers only forced 14 turnovers in this one, but made Arizona pay for them with 24 points off those miscues. They were able to get in transition at times and cash in and it really was a major difference in this game because some of those were unforced. The Wildcats had just 6 points off 10 turnovers.
--Five players played over 30+ minutes. The Mountaineers relied on their key pieces and for the most part they delivered. The Mountaineers had only 6 bench points and all of that was KJ Tenner.
--West Virginia got some tremendous individual efforts on the glass in this one and again won the battle 40-39. Amani Hansberry had 10 rebounds (4 on the offensive end) and Toby Okani had 5 rebounds (3 on the offensive end). The Mountaineers had 15 of their total 40 rebounds on the offensive end and that was critical. I did not have West Virginia with more offensive rebounds than Arizona given their size advantage.
--Tucker DeVries was absolutely excellent in this game and made some really tough shots. He had 26 points on 8-16 from the floor and 8-12 from three. He made some really tough ones off screens and some deep ones, but his ability to shoot the ball was critical. He also made plays passing the ball with 6 assists and 0 turnovers a long with 4 rebounds.
--DeVries was 8-12 from deep, but the rest of the team was just 4-22. Tired legs?
--Javon Small played 40+ minutes again and while he didn't stuff the stat sheet as much as he did in the first two, he was very good controlling the pace. He had 14 points and 8 assists in this one. Small was 9-10 from the line and made all six when it was 1-1 down the stretch of this game. Small is simply just a player.
--Best game all-around from Toby Okani and he was excellent on both ends of the floor. Okani had 20 points on 7-11 shooting with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and 0 turnovers. He made some really hard rebounds and hit some huge shots especially in overtime and when this team needed a basket. Okani hasn't always been the biggest offensive threat, but today showed he's got a lot in his tool bag on that end.
--West Virginia will take 13 points and 10 rebounds out of Amani Hansberry every single night. He was active and ran the floor well. He has shown the ability to shoot it and while he was just 5-12 from the field tonight he made some really big plays at times including to start overtime.
--Sencire Harris isn't going to give you a lot offensively but did have 4 points on 2-6 shooting. He still hasn't made a three yet though. But he is just so relentless on the defensive end and is a pest to go against. He continues to affect the game there and had 3 steals and a block in this one while frustrating Caleb Love at times.
--Thought on first watch that KJ Tenner looked pretty good in this one and made the most of his minutes. Turns out he was +14 and led the team. He had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and continued to utilize that floater, while he also had 3 steals. Jonathan Powell on the other hand is due. He had perhaps more shots than everybody else combined rim out the past few days.
--Felt West Virginia was their own worst enemy at times running clock and getting bad shots at times. If I had any complaints the past couple days, those end of regulation possessions haven't been my favorite. Although with the degree of difficulty that DeVries made baskets today, there could be worse looks.
--Mountaineers had 20 points in the paint but just 2-9 on layups around the rim.
--SHARING THE BALL. West Virginia had 21 assists on 27 made baskets. That's the most assists against a high major since TCU 2019. The Mountaineers have won 21 of their last 22 games with 21 or more assists. And there were some tough shots involved here, too.
--Free throws again. The Mountaineers were 17-22 and for the tournament was 60-77 which isn't too shabby.
--West Virginia won this game and now moves to 5-2 on the season with a major win in their pocket over Gonzaga on a neutral floor. The Mountaineers now have four straight home games to close out the non-conference and have a golden chance to go on a run before heading to Kansas to start league play. The expectations for this season have been all over the board and this team was picked No. 13 in the Big 12, but if you get this type of effort you won't have to worry about that. This team plays hard and represents what they want to be about. A really good week for the program.
--The Mountaineers only forced 14 turnovers in this one, but made Arizona pay for them with 24 points off those miscues. They were able to get in transition at times and cash in and it really was a major difference in this game because some of those were unforced. The Wildcats had just 6 points off 10 turnovers.
--Five players played over 30+ minutes. The Mountaineers relied on their key pieces and for the most part they delivered. The Mountaineers had only 6 bench points and all of that was KJ Tenner.
--West Virginia got some tremendous individual efforts on the glass in this one and again won the battle 40-39. Amani Hansberry had 10 rebounds (4 on the offensive end) and Toby Okani had 5 rebounds (3 on the offensive end). The Mountaineers had 15 of their total 40 rebounds on the offensive end and that was critical. I did not have West Virginia with more offensive rebounds than Arizona given their size advantage.
--Tucker DeVries was absolutely excellent in this game and made some really tough shots. He had 26 points on 8-16 from the floor and 8-12 from three. He made some really tough ones off screens and some deep ones, but his ability to shoot the ball was critical. He also made plays passing the ball with 6 assists and 0 turnovers a long with 4 rebounds.
--DeVries was 8-12 from deep, but the rest of the team was just 4-22. Tired legs?
--Javon Small played 40+ minutes again and while he didn't stuff the stat sheet as much as he did in the first two, he was very good controlling the pace. He had 14 points and 8 assists in this one. Small was 9-10 from the line and made all six when it was 1-1 down the stretch of this game. Small is simply just a player.
--Best game all-around from Toby Okani and he was excellent on both ends of the floor. Okani had 20 points on 7-11 shooting with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, a block and 0 turnovers. He made some really hard rebounds and hit some huge shots especially in overtime and when this team needed a basket. Okani hasn't always been the biggest offensive threat, but today showed he's got a lot in his tool bag on that end.
--West Virginia will take 13 points and 10 rebounds out of Amani Hansberry every single night. He was active and ran the floor well. He has shown the ability to shoot it and while he was just 5-12 from the field tonight he made some really big plays at times including to start overtime.
--Sencire Harris isn't going to give you a lot offensively but did have 4 points on 2-6 shooting. He still hasn't made a three yet though. But he is just so relentless on the defensive end and is a pest to go against. He continues to affect the game there and had 3 steals and a block in this one while frustrating Caleb Love at times.
--Thought on first watch that KJ Tenner looked pretty good in this one and made the most of his minutes. Turns out he was +14 and led the team. He had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and continued to utilize that floater, while he also had 3 steals. Jonathan Powell on the other hand is due. He had perhaps more shots than everybody else combined rim out the past few days.
--Felt West Virginia was their own worst enemy at times running clock and getting bad shots at times. If I had any complaints the past couple days, those end of regulation possessions haven't been my favorite. Although with the degree of difficulty that DeVries made baskets today, there could be worse looks.
--Mountaineers had 20 points in the paint but just 2-9 on layups around the rim.
--SHARING THE BALL. West Virginia had 21 assists on 27 made baskets. That's the most assists against a high major since TCU 2019. The Mountaineers have won 21 of their last 22 games with 21 or more assists. And there were some tough shots involved here, too.
--Free throws again. The Mountaineers were 17-22 and for the tournament was 60-77 which isn't too shabby.
--West Virginia won this game and now moves to 5-2 on the season with a major win in their pocket over Gonzaga on a neutral floor. The Mountaineers now have four straight home games to close out the non-conference and have a golden chance to go on a run before heading to Kansas to start league play. The expectations for this season have been all over the board and this team was picked No. 13 in the Big 12, but if you get this type of effort you won't have to worry about that. This team plays hard and represents what they want to be about. A really good week for the program.
