As the Big 12 season nears its conclusion, Darian DeVries discussed late-season issues and how he is preparing for TCU after losing to them in their last meeting.
In their last four games, the Mountaineers have been 1-3 and have struggled to stay in the game late.
“It’s been a variety of things at times, the other night I thought we guarded Tech really well in the first 15 minutes of the game. We’re up eight and you know sometimes it has as much to do with our offense as our defense but in this particular case they got in transition that hurt us and in the second half they really hurt us inside in the interior,” DeVries said when asked about recent defensive performances.
At this point in the season, there is a lot of talk on whether this Mountaineer team will find a spot in the NCAA Tournament or not.
“I think our only communication with our team is we are playing for something right now,” DeVries said. “We just got to continue to do our part and we know that these are meaningful games.”
When asked about the commonality of the offensive deficiency in losses, DeVries emphasized how important it is for his team to control the game on defense.
“That’s what’s going to win and lose us a game is our defensive effort and our consistency on that end,” DeVries said.
In their last meeting with TCU, the Mountaineers fell 65-60 after a back and forth game. This time around, DeVries doesn’t seem to expect many different looks from the Horned Frogs.
“They’re going to try and feature the guys they want to feature and try to put them in the spots that they feel they can be successful,” he said. “They’ll throw certainly some wrinkles at you to try to see if they can get a bucket or two but that’s where you just got to rely on your principles as a defense.”
Throughout the press conference, there was a clear emphasis on stopping TCU from getting to the free throw line. Last time they met, TCU shot 23 free throws compared to the Mountaineers’ five.
“We’re aggressive, we’re physical, we just got to continue to be as disciplined as we can and to keep people off the foul line,” DeVries commented.
With this late season game being critical for Big 12 rankings, DeVries expects it to be just like any other in-conference game.
“Just like a lot of games in the Big 12, it really comes down to who can make the most plays on that particular night and I anticipate that tomorrow night will be no different,” he said.
The Mountaineers are set tip-off Tuesday, at 9:00 p.m. as they look to take down the Horned Frogs.
