West Virginia looks to stay undefeated in Big 12 play when they host Arizona on Tuesday night at the WVU Coliseum.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: Tied 3-3
LAST MEETING: Nov. 29, 2024 — WVU 83, Arizona 76 (OT)
TELEVISION: ESPN+, 7:00 p.m.
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
11-2 (1st season at WVU), 161-57 (7th season overall)
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
96-25 (4th season at Arizona, 4th season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
Arizona is coming into Tuesday's contest off a road win over Cincinnati. Arizona led by 19 in the second half before Cincinnati tied things up. The Wildcats would hold on, though, prevailing in the 72-67 win. Jaden Bradley led the way with 15 points. Arizona shot 43 percent from the field, and 31 of their points came from off the bench.
West Virginia earned their second victory of the week on Saturday as they took down Oklahoma State. WVU never trailed and took a 46-19 lead into the locker room before the Cowboys tried to mount a comeback in the second half. WVU would hold on, though, securing the 69-50 win. WVU was led by Javon Small, who scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.
This will be the second meeting between West Virginia and Arizona this season. In November, they met in a non-conference game in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. There, West Virginia beat Atlantis Tournathe Wildcats 83-76, as Tucker DeVries scored 26 points, Toby Okani added 20, and the Mountaineers won in overtime. Caleb Love scored 24 points, and Trey Townsend added 19 to lead the Wildcats offensively.
By The Numbers — Arizona (8-5, 2-0 Big 12)
Arizona is third in the Big 12 in points per game, averaging 84.8 points scored. However, in their five losses this season, they are averaging 70 points scored per game. Arizona is giving up 68.6 points per game, which ranks in the middle of the Big 12. They are shooting 48.5 percent from the field, which is fourth-best in the Big 12, and their opponents are shooting just under 40 percent from the field, which is fifth-best in the Big 12.
From beyond the arc, Arizona has struggled this season. They are shooting 31 percent from distance, which is last in the Big 12. They are in the middle of the league in opponent 3-point percentage, as their opponents are making 29.7 percent of their threes this season. Arizona has turned the ball over 12.2 times per game this season, which is in the bottom half of the Big 12. They are forcing 13.8 turnovers per game.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Jaden Bradley, Caleb Love, Anthony Dell'Orso, Trey Townsend, and Tobe Awaka, as they have played 19.7 percent of minutes over the last five games together.
Love leads Arizona in scoring and is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game. Love is one of four Wildcats averaging 9.8 points per game or more this season. Awaka leads Arizona on the glass, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, but he's also picked up the most personal fouls on Arizona with 36.
Oklahoma State comes into the game ranked 16th in the NET and 17th by KenPom. Arizona is 1-5 in Quad 1 games this season, and Tuesday's game is considered to be a Quad 1 game.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (11-2, 2-0 Big 12)
West Virginia is scoring 75.6 points per game this season but giving up 62.5 points per game this season, which is third-best in the Big 12. They are 14th in the league in field goal percentage at 44 percent but are second in the league in opponent field goal percentage at 37.1 percent.
WVU is shooting 35.2 percent from beyond the arc, and opponents are shooting just 27.4 percent from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers this season, which is tops in the Big 12. Despite not shooting a high percentage from three, WVU is third in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made, averaging 10.1 per game. West Virginia is forcing 14.2 turnovers per game and is turning the ball over 11.5 times per game. Defensively, WVU is 11th in the country in blocks per game, averaging 5.7.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Jonathan Powell, Toby Okani, and Eduardo Andre. This lineup has been deployed together on the floor 20.5 percent of the time.
WVU's leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 19.5 points per game this season. Jonathan Powell has started to contribute more and more in the scoring department, as he's averaging 9.3 points per game this season. Among all Big 12 freshmen, he ranks 7th in the league in scoring.
West Virginia is ranked 25th in the NET and 36th by KenPom. WVU is 3-2 in Quad 1 games this season, and this game is considered a Quad 1 game for the Mountaineers.
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