West Virginia is much better than their 5-8 record indicates. They have eight transfers (all 5 of their probable starters), and most of them have only been eligible for their last four games. Like Memphis, they have had to gel as a team, as most of their players have never competed on the same court together.
Wednesday, Kelvin Sampson said, “You really can only scout them from their last 3 or 4 games cuz they’ve just gotten all their kids back.” And that’s what I did: I studied three most recent West Virginia games for this scouting report – Radford, Toledo, and Ohio State. Check out all of GoCoogs’ WVU preview: Scouting Report | Personnel Report | Interview
the daily #153 | 1/4/2024 | Archives
WVU Overview
Had their superstar RaeQuan Battle (#21) not been in foul trouble, they likely would have beaten Ohio State this past weekend. They looked much more comfortable throughout that game and fell in overtime in Cleveland.
Their stud post player Jesse Edwards (Syracuse) is recovering from a broken right wrist. Head coach Josh Eilert said he will not play in Houston. Even without him, they have an extremely talented starting lineup.
The Mountaineers are led by future NBA player RaeQuan Battle (Transfer from Montana State), who is my “Head of the Snake.” Battle can score from anywhere on the floor. He is a deadly three-point shooter but is equally talented at the mid-range game or finishing at the rim.
Noah Farrakhan (#1, Eastern Michigan) and Kerr Kiirsa (#3, Arizona) are talented guards. Farrakhan is crafty with changing the level and speed of the ball on his dribble and is phenomenal at making difficult shots or finishing at the basket. Kiirsa can score off the bounce but is a better three-point specialist and is a much-improved passer, since transferring from Arizona. UH fans remember him from the Sweet 16 win in 2022 over the Wildcats when Jamal Shead held him to 1/7 shooting.
Their starting front-court will likely be Quinn Slazinsky (#11, Iona) and Akok Akok (#13, Georgetown). Slazinsky is a very talented stretch forward. He is a mismatch nightmare that can score inside, outside, or off the bounce. Akok is primarily a defensive specialist who is a great shot blocker and rebounder on both ends.
The Coogs can take advantage of dominating the boards on both ends of the court. Without Edwards, WVU struggles to rebound, with the exception of Akok. I expect a big rebounding performance from Tugler, Francis, and Roberts.
This should be a close game. Houston has the edge with experience on the court together and the home court advantage. West Virginia has some players that may cause mismatch issues for the Coogs. It could come down to who has the tougher team. I will ALWAYS take the Coogs in that department!
WVU Offense
The Mountaineers want Battle to take many of their shots; he has no issue with that. If he gets a somewhat clean opportunity to shoot, he will shoot it! In his three games this season, he averages 27 points per game (and under one assist per game). They love to run him off multiple screens, either to curl to the basket or open him for three-point opportunities. He’s 6’5″ and can score from all three levels. He is a big issue!
The Eers want to run in transition offense and look for easy scoring opportunities. Farrakhan is a fast point guard looking to GO on the fast break. He will drive until someone stops him, then he will look to make a difficult jumper in the lane or pass to an open shooter (watch out for Slazinsky for three on the secondary break). Kiirsa and Battle both love to shoot the three in transition. Akok is really good at rim-running, and they love looking for him on the fast break.
Lagniappe: 34% of Battle’s total shot attempts have been in transition.
Houston guards should “oversell” the illegal screen when Akok sets screens. He sticks his leg or hips out on screens almost every time. Refs love calling illegal screens.
West Virginia runs some good “Horns” sets (two forwards on the elbows). These typically open up Battle for a three if the forwards set a double flare screen for him. If the guard passes to one of the bigs on the elbow, the Coogs will need to watch for Battle curling off the second screen for the lob. If one of the bigs sets a screen for Kiirsa or Farrakhan, they want to isolate them for a three or a driving opportunity.
WVU Defense
West Virginia primarily plays half-court M2M defense. I have not seen them try to full-court press, and they are not a great defensive team. They really struggle to defend the paint with Edwards out. The UH guards will look to attack the paint for floaters or to kick out to open shooters. If J’Wan plays, he should have a field day either attacking one-on-one or passing to the open guy when they attempt to double-team. When they try to double-team, they tend to be slow in recovering to find open shooters.
They have recently been trying some 2-3 zone, but they only ran it for a few possessions against Ohio State on Saturday.
When Akok is out of the game and with Edwards out with an injury, they really struggle to rebound. The Coogs must attack the offensive glass and will be a massive advantage for UH.
Up Next: Scouting WVU personnel and keys to victory.
