The West Virginia road trip to Kansas State is a game featuring surprises in both directions.
Both teams experienced plenty of change this off-season as the Mountaineers brought in a new coaching staff with an almost entirely new roster, while the Wildcats brought in a number of new players.
The Mountaineers have been one of the biggest positive ones in the Big 12 sitting at 13-5 and nationally ranked after being selected No. 13 in the pre-season media poll. Meanwhile, things to this point have gone the opposite direction for the Wildcats who sit at 7-11 overall and just 1-6 in the league after slotted at eighth.
For West Virginia, connectivity has been a key element to their start, and head coach Darian DeVries believes that the team has shown a willingness to learn and work hard.
“I think when you watch us play on nights we’re doing well or even nights when it’s a struggle our group is pretty connected. For the most part, they’re giving everything they’ve got to help us win collectively as a unit. That’s part of the reason we’ve had some success,” DeVries said.
The two teams will meet inside Bramlage Coliseum 6 p.m. with both needing to bounce back after difficult defeats earlier in the week.
West Virginia fell 65-57 at home to Arizona State in a contest where the Mountaineers struggled to find their footing, especially in two areas that had been a strength.
“Our defensive rebounding wasn’t good enough in that game and just our defense in general in the second half. They shot 66-percent. You’re not winning games allowing that type of efficiency,” DeVries said.
Meanwhile, Kansas State had a double-digit second-half lead at Baylor but couldn’t hold on and fell 70-62 for their sixth consecutive loss in the Big 12 Conference. And while the record and current streak isn't where they wanted to be, the Wildcats have been highly competitive in the majority of their league games to date.
“They’re right there they just haven’t had the wins to show for it. I think they’re a really talented team and they present a lot of problems for you,” DeVries said.
One of those is Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins. The 6-foot-10 senior was one of the prized off-season additions by the Wildcats from Illinois and leads Kansas State in scoring during Big 12 play. He presents issues for teams given the fact that Jerome Tang will use him in a variety of different ways.
“They force you to make decisions if you want to double or how you’re going to try to keep him from getting to his spot and he’s such a willing passer it makes things a little challenging,” DeVries said.
Both of these teams are searching for a much-needed win and the two continue to grow and develop on the floor which is only natural with so many new pieces.
“That is the challenge sometimes game to game, week to week teams change. Coaches, players they continue to try to evolve and become more efficient on both ends of the floor,” DeVries said.
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