WVU appears to be getting tougher after Pitt loss | News, Sports, Jobs

Pittsburgh’s Jaland Lowe (15) is defended by West Virginia’s Javon Small, left, and Tucker DeVries, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 , in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

MORGANTOWN — The intuition, if you were to ask any member of the WVU men’s basketball team, was that the Mountaineers were ready for their first challenge of the season.

It only took part of the first half of last week’s 86-62 loss to Pitt to realize that wasn’t the case.

“It was a big surprise, to be honest,” said WVU guard Jake Auer. “I thought we had a great week of practice. We spent a lot of time going through the scouting report. I was ready to leave Pittsburgh with my head held high and return to Morgantown with a victory.

Perhaps it was the words of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson that played best that night for the Mountaineers: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face .

“We didn’t react the way we wanted.” » said WVU point guard Javon Small after the game. “I expect us to react every time we get punched in the mouth. I expect we will be able to fight back.

There was a lot to fix, WVU head coach Darian DeVries said, but most importantly, the Mountaineers just need to get tougher.

“When a team comes out and we don’t score well, we have to be able to stay in that game,” » said DeVries.

“When they score, we have to make sure we have offensive chances to keep us in the game. It snowballed and we didn’t respond to it.

WVU’s weak response came from its starting five who struggled across the board. The starters played a total of 117 minutes and shot 26%.

WVU’s starting five made just 10 of the team’s 24 baskets and both Amani Hansberry and Tucker DeVries fouled out.

“I thought offensively we just didn’t run a very good offense,” Darian DeVries said. “We didn’t get very good shot selection from almost everyone.

“We talked to our guys and told them we were a good team when we played together and connected on both ends of the floor, but our margin for error is pretty slim.”

Which prepares the Mountaineers (2-1) for their return to the Coliseum, where WVU hosts Iona (1-3) at 7 p.m. today.

The Gaels have yet to face a Power Four Conference opponent this season and have lost to Princeton, Hofstra and Delaware.

Iona will challenge WVU with its full-court pressing defense from the point, providing a look the Mountaineers have yet to see this season.

“We have not faced a team that is going to press us like they are going to press us for 40 minutes,” » said DeVries. “It will be another opportunity to see where we are from a clippings perspective. In practice, it looks good. When we enter the playing field, how do we react and react to it?

Initial reaction will depend on the same starting five that struggled against the Panthers.

Can Hansberry and Tucker DeVries come back after their worst games of the season? Can Small make the offense a little smoother?

The biggest question: Can this team start making outside shots?

This has been a problem in the last two games, in which WVU has been held to under 40 percent shooting by UMass and Pitt.

“Our offense has to continue to improve as we see different things. » Darian DeVries said. “We’re going to respond better to these kinds of things. As an offense, there are things we’re trying to get, and we need to do a better job of getting there. There are some things we are limited on, so we need to make sure we leverage our strengths as much as possible.