Tag: Battle

Tale of the Tape
Points Per Game	85.4	73.2
Scoring Margin	+20.1	+8.9
Field Goal Percentage	.495	.436
OPP Field Goal Percentage	.407	.389
3-PT Field Goal Percentage	.357	.349
Opp 3-PT Field Goal Percentage	.319	.292
Free Throw Percentage	.748	.749
Rebounds Per Game	37.3	35.3
Assists Per Game	16.8	13.9
Turnovers Per Game	10.1	11.2
Steals Per Game	9.9	7.5
Blocks Per Game	3.7	5.1
Streak	W12	L1

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – What Darian DeVries has seen so far on tape of Iowa State has led him to conclude that the second-ranked Cyclones are equipped to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Iowa State (15-1 overall and 5-0 in Big 12 play) has brought some really good teams to the WVU Coliseum through the years. Former coach Fred Hoiberg had Iowa State ranked 11^th in the country when it came to Morgantown in 2014, and the Cyclones won the Big 12 Tournament that year.
 
Iowa State also had Big 12 Tournament championship teams in 2015, 2017, 2019 and last season, but this one could be the best of them all.
 
“I think they’re championship-level good,” said DeVries, a recent recipient of the Jim Phelan Award Mid-Season Honor as its top college basketball coach for his team’s surprising success so far. “They’re a team that when they get in the tournament, has a chance to win it all.”
 
Since coach T.J. Otzelberger took over in Ames four years ago, his teams have been known for their toughness and stingy play on defensive end of the floor. What makes this one so unique is it is also one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country.
 
Just about every statistical category is highlighter-worthy, from points per game (85.4), to margin of victory (+20.1), to field goal percentage (49.5%), to assists per game (16.8) to steals per game (9.9).

Opponents are shooting just 40.7% overall and 31.9% from 3-point distance, typical numbers we’re used to seeing from Iowa State.

 

The Cyclones’ best scorer, 6-foot-4 senior guard Curtis Jones, is averaging 17.8 points per game, even though he’s only started two of 16 games, the most recent coming in Wednesday’s win over ninth-ranked Kansas.

 

“I was hoping (the media) could come up with a weakness for them today,” DeVries joked. “They were really good last year, but I think the component that they’ve improved the most is on the offensive side. Their bigs can really pass. They play well off one another, and I think that’s really complemented their guards from a year ago.

 

“They were great defensively last year. They are great defensively this year, and now they can score off it, which makes them even more of a challenge to try to beat.”

 

Keshon Gilbert, also a 6-foot-4 guard, is averaging 15.5 points per game and Joshua Jefferson, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior forward, is contributing 11.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.

 

The remainder of Otzelberger’s starting five consists of 6-foot-1 junior guard Tamin Lipsey, averaging 10.4 points per game, and 6-foot-10 senior forward Brandton Chatfield, averaging 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

 

This group was so effective that Otzelberger didn’t even bat an eye earlier this week when his Cyclones faced Kansas without starting sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic, who is expected to be sidelined for more than a month with a hand injury.

 

Momcilovic is a 6-foot-8 stretch forward who is shooting 44.3% from 3-point range and is averaging 10.3 points per game.

 

Against the Jayhawks, Iowa State got a game-high 25 points from Jones and 17 off the bench from 6-foot-11, 274-pound backup center Dishon Jackson in the 74-57 victory at Hilton Coliseum.

 

When a team is getting that type of size and production coming off the bench, it has the makings of a special season.

 

Iowa State’s lone loss so far this year was to now-top-ranked Auburn, 83-81, in the opening game of the Maui Invitational back on Nov. 25.

 

The Cyclones concluded the remainder of their nonconference slate with impressive wins over Dayton, 11^th-ranked Marquette and in-state rival Iowa.

 

ISU’s list of Big 12 victims so far includes Colorado (once in nonconference action as well), 25^th-ranked Baylor, Utah, Texas Tech and No. 9 Kansas.

 

Iowa State rallied in Lubbock to tie the game at the buzzer in regulation and then outscored the Red Raiders 11-10 in the extra session for an 85-84 victory.

 

Baylor was no match for Iowa State in Ames, falling 74-55.

 

Perhaps a silver lining for West Virginia is Saturday’s matchup will be just the fourth true road game for Iowa State this season. The Cyclones won by nine against Iowa in Iowa City on Dec. 12, by 10 against Colorado in Boulder on Dec. 30 and by one in overtime against Texas Tech in Lubbock last Saturday.

 

And maybe a capacity crowd expected to be in the 14,000-seat WVU Coliseum for Jerry West Day can give the Mountaineers an extra boost of energy.

 

“The biggest thing for us, and it applied to the Houston game, is the game goes down to the wire if we take care of the ball a little better,” DeVries said. “We gave up too many live-ball turnovers that led to transition points. If you give Iowa State transition baskets where they’re out in the open floor and you don’t have a set defense, they’re going to make you pay.”

 

West Virginia is coming off a two-game western swing where it defeated Colorado 78-70 last Sunday before dropping a 70-54 decision at 10^th-ranked Houston on Wednesday night.

 

WVU, ranked 25^th in this week’s coaches’ poll, is now 12-4 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play. Guard Javon Small continues to lead the conference in scoring with an average of 19.4 points per game.

 

Saturday’s game will tip off at 5 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+ (Chuckie Kempf and King McClure).

 

Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and studio host David Kahn begins at 4 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.

 

Several members of the West family, including wife Karen and son Jonnie and his wife, former professional golfer wife Michelle Wie, will be at the game and will be recognized at halftime during an on-court celebration of Jerry West’s life. The basketball legend died June 12, 2024, in Los Angeles, and WVU teams have been honoring him this season by wearing No. 44 patches on their uniforms or helmets, depending upon the sport.

 

Special video tributes will be played throughout the game, and all Mountaineer fans in attendance will be given a Jerry West memorial pennant, presented by United Bank.

 

“Along with everybody else across the world, the first thing you think of (about Jerry West) is the (NBA) logo,” DeVries said. “Having been here now, and you think about what he did … the stats and records that still stand today, it’s an unbelievable accomplishment from him and what he’s meant to the sport. It’s awesome that we get to be a part of celebrating his legacy, and having all the people here to do that with us makes for a really special day.”

 

Earlier today, West Virginia University announced a $5 million gift from Los Angeles Clippers chairman of the board Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, in memory of West, who served as a special consultant to the Clippers up until the time of his passing.

 

Half of the Ballmer family’s gift establishes a new fund in West’s name to support completion grants, which provide monetary assistance for WVU students at risk of leaving the University due to financial challenges. The goal is to encourage students to remain in school and complete their degrees.

 

The remaining funds will bolster the Jerry West Scholarship, which goes to undergraduate students from West Virginia with demonstrated financial need. First awarded in 1971, the scholarship has enabled generations of Mountain State natives to graduate from WVU.

No tickets remain.