West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries addressed the media Friday morning to discuss the upcoming game against the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones.
The game is set for Saturday night at the Coliseum, with a sold-out crowd expected. When asked about his expectations for the night, DeVries expressed excitement.
“I’m expecting this place to be rocking. Our reputation as a fan base, the Coliseum, is highly thought of across the basketball world,” DeVries said. “I can’t wait for that energy and to fill the arena tomorrow.”
West Virginia is expected to be shorthanded again for this matchup, with key players Tucker DeVries and Jayden Stone still unavailable.
“Like everything, when you lose a guy like that [Tucker], you lose a little bit of your firepower, but they [WVU] still have plenty,” DeVries said.
The Mountaineers, coming off a loss, will look to bounce back as they have done all season. West Virginia has yet to lose back-to-back games this year.
Iowa State boasts a well-rounded team that excels on both sides of the ball. To succeed, West Virginia will need to shoot efficiently from all three levels and limit turnovers—an issue that plagued them in Wednesday night’s loss to Houston.
“We gave too many live-ball turnovers that led to transition points,” DeVries said. “If you give Iowa State transition baskets when they’re out in the open floor and you don’t have a set defense, they’re going to make you pay, just like Houston did the other night. So that’s the big thing for us—taking care of the basketball, making sure we get shots on goal every time.”
West Virginia has already proven they can take down a top-three opponent, defeating Gonzaga earlier this season at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Mountaineers hope to replicate that success Saturday night in front of the Mountaineer faithful.
