West Virginia first-year head coach Darian DeVries brings his 12-3 (3-1) Mountaineers to the Fertitta Center Wednesday night for a battle with the 12-3 (4-0) Houston Cougars. The Mountaineers have been completely revamped and are playing great basketball with Coach DeVries at the helm. They are tougher, less selfish, defend better, and play harder than last year’s team that lost by 34 in Houston’s Big 12 debut.

Coach DeVries brought in a roster of guys that fit the mold he is trying to build in Morgantown, and only one player returns from last year’s team (he doesn’t get any playing time). Unlike the team the Coogs played last Saturday, they didn’t pay millions to build a roster of big names. Instead, they built a roster of guys who play extremely hard, are coachable, and want to bring back the pride of West Virginia basketball.

The Mountaineers are led by Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small, who will be our “Head of the Snake” for this contest. Small has taken his game to an extremely high level since moving to WVU. “Their team has a great swagger to them, and I think they get it from Javon,” Kelvin Sampson said on Monday. “He’s just one of the best guards in the country.”

He showed flashes of greatness last year but is now the leading scorer in the Big 12 (19.8 ppg) and is at the top of everyone’s scouting reports. He can score at all three levels, make difficult shots, get his teammates involved, defend at a high level, and get to the free-throw line. He’s right-handed but can go left or right off the drive.

The Coogs are at their best when Milos Uzan is on the floor. In Houston’s losses, Uzan was in foul trouble, and the opponent’s guards all caught fire. Small is the type of guard (similar to Alabama’s Mark Sears) that will drive into your body and throw his head back to make the officials believe you are fouling him. The Cougar guards must play with their arms wide and ensure the refs are not tricked into making the foul call.

Houston is on an eight-game winning streak and has won 31 consecutive home games. While I expect those streaks to continue, the Coogs must be focused and be the toughest team on the floor. WVU has already beaten Kansas on the road this season and is a legitimate threat in the Big 12 on a nightly basis. They are good enough to pull the big upset. Even with sickness running through the UH team, I know Coach Sampson and his staff will have Houston ready to roll on Wednesday night!

West Virginia National Rankings

• Net – #29; Houston Ranked #3
• Kenpom – #42; Houston Ranked #3
• AP Poll – NR; Houston Ranked #10
• Coaches Poll – #25; Houston Ranked #8

WVU Offensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#31 – Three-Point Attempts Per Game: 28.3

#39 – Three-Pointers Made Per Game: 9.8

Mountaineer Defensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#12 – Field Goal Percentage (Defense): 38.36%

#14 – Three-Point Percentage (Defense): 28.1%

#20 – Blocks Per Game: 5.3

#24 – Scoring Defense: 63.9

West Virginia Offense Notes

• The Mountaineers like to spread the floor and run a lot of pick and rolls to get their guards downhill. They have several speedy and crafty guards that can finish in the lane, kick to open shooters, or hit their post-player on the roll.
• The offense goes through Small. He can score in so many ways. He’s good in the “iso” for the drive or the step-back three. He’s deadly in the pick-and-roll as a driver and passer. He can play off the ball and come off screens to open him up. He has truly taken his game to an all-new level.
• They are one of the highest-volume three-point shooting teams in the country. They rank in the top 40 nationally in attempts and makes per game.
• UH must fight to get over on-ball screens when guarding Small, or he will make them pay from beyond the arc.
• WVU does not have a true “back to the basket” post player. They are much better as pick and roll/pop guys. Andre wants to roll to the basket, while Hansberry can pop out for the outside shot or roll to the rim.

Mountaineer Defense Notes

• Against Colorado Sunday, WVU only played tough/solid half-court, man-to-man defense.
• WVU sometimes struggles in pick-and-roll defense (especially when Hansberry is guarding the roller). The Coogs should look to get J’Wan Roberts (if healthy) in the pick and roll offense when Hansberry is in the game and let him eat.
• Houston should look to run in transition, especially if they notice Andre getting tired. He is slow to get back and the Cougar big-men should be able to have some rim-run opportunities.
• The Mountaineers are one of the better defensive teams in the nation. They don’t “over-help” which allows them to defend the three-point shot pretty well. Something will have to give, as the Coogs are the #3 three-point shooting percentage team in the nation and WVU is ranked #13 in three-point shooting percentage (defense).

WVU Personnel Report (* Indicates Probable Starters)

*#7 – Javon Small – 6’3″ – SR – Guard – (East Carolina – Oklahoma State) – 20ppg, 5rpg, 5apg, 2spg.

• Head of the Snake: One of the best guards the Coogs have faced thus far. If he gets hot, you better throw two guys at him often and get the ball out of his hands;
• Elite scoring point guard that has almost 100 more attempts than the next guy on their team;
• Solid three-point shooter – 38/107 (36%);
• Great at getting downhill to score in the paint or draw fouls. 77/88 (87%) on free throws with 50 more makes than the next guy on their team;
• Top 50 National Rankings: #18 – Points Per Game (19.8); #22 – Minutes Per Game (35.5).

*#11 – Jonathan Powell – 6’6″ – FR – Guard – 9ppg, 2rpg.

• Long/athletic guard;
• Really confident freshman who is second on the team in shot attempts (123);
• Good long-range shooter – 35/92 (38%);
• Solid finisher in the paint.

*#10 – Sencire Harris – 6’4″ – SO – Guard – (Illinois) – 6ppg, 5rpg.

• LEFTY;
• Extremely thin guard;
• Loves to drive left;
• Not an elite three-point shooter; 4/36 (11%).

*#5 – Toby Okani – 6’8″ – 5th – Guard – (UIC – Duquesne) – 8ppg, 4rpg.

• Big/athletic guard;
• Not a great shooter;
• At his best off the bounce and getting into the paint.

*#0 – Eduardo Andre – 6’11” – 5th – Center – (Nebraska – Fresno State) – 6ppg, 5rpg, 2bpg.

• Extremely long/defensive specialist/post player;
• Elite shot-blocker;
• Solid rebounder on both ends of the court;
• Solid finisher in the pick and roll;
• I think he travels a lot on his catches. If I was coaching at UH, I would point it out very early in the game to the officials;
• Top 50 National Rankings: #1 – Total Blocks (56); #24 – Blocks Per Game (2.07).

#12 – Tucker DeVries – 6’7″ – SR – Guard/Forward – (Drake) – 15ppg, 5rpg.

• Big guard; Very talented three-level scorer;
• Coach’s son;
• Has missed their last seven games with a shoulder injury; No word yet if he’ll play.

#13 – Amani Hansberry – 6’8″ – SO – Forward – (Illinois) – 10ppg, 6rpg.

• Big/strong forward off the bench;
• Capable three-point shooter;
• Can pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll depending on the defense;
• Pretty patient in the post; Can score with either hand when around the basket.

#1 – Joseph Yesufu – 6’0″ – 5th – Guard – (Kansas – Drake – Washington State) – 5ppg, 2rpg.

• World traveler;
• Smaller combo guard;
• Really good three-point shooter;
• Solid at driving to the basket and making tough layups; Likes to go “iso” and drive to score/draw a foul.

#8 – Jake Auer – 6’0″ – 5th – Guard – (Rockhurst) – 2ppg, 1rpg.

• Smaller/walk-on guard;
• Plays limited minutes, but played in the first half against Colorado on Sunday;
• Sniper from three-point land; 7/11 (64%);
• He’s “limited” athletically; Whoever he’s guarding better have the ball in their hands and ready to attack. I could be wrong, but I don’t think he’ll get in the game against UH. He is a defensive liability.

#3 – KJ Tenner – 6’0″ – FR – Guard – 4ppg, 1rpg.

• May play limited minutes;
• Did not play Sunday at Colorado.

Keys to Victory

1. Keep Javon Small under his points average. Small has developed into a 20ppg guy. Last season, RaeQuan Battle entered the Fertitta Center, averaging almost 30ppg. He ended the game with 4 points in 23 minutes. That is the type of defense that the Coogs need to play on Small. Get the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat you.
2. Limit their three-point opportunities. The Mountaineers make a lot of threes (9.8 per game). No one has defended the three better than UH this year. They will need that to continue Wednesday night and run WVU off the three-point line.
3. Pick and Roll them to death. West Virginia struggles guarding the pick and roll. I would look to get J’Wan and Milos going early and often in the p&r game.
4. Run in transition. When Andre gets tired, he does not hustle back on defense. Milos should look to push the ball up the floor and look for his post players on the rim run.
5. Toughest team wins. Two historically TOUGH teams. It is embedded in the Houston culture. DeVries is bringing it back to a WVU team who had lost their edge last year. This one could come down to a few possessions. Who will be the team that wins the toughness categories that can’t be found on a stat sheet? Got to be the Coogs Wednesday night!

Shoot-around with Emanuel Sharp