West Virginia heads out west for the first of a two-game road trip when they face Colorado on Sunday afternoon in Boulder.
WVSports.com offers a look at some key elements of the match-up to get you ready for tip-off.
SERIES: First meeting between the two teams
LAST MEETING: First Meeting
TELEVISION: ESPN+ (Ted Emrich / Tim Welsh)
COACHES
Darian DeVries, West Virginia
11-3 (1st season at WVU), 161-58 (7th season overall)
Tad Boyle, Colorado
307-188 (15 season at CU), 363-254 (19th season overall)
LAST TIME OUT
West Virginia was handed their first loss of their Big 12 schedule when they fell 75-56 to Arizona on Tuesday. The Mountaineers now sit at 2-1 in Big 12 play, holding wins over Kansas and Oklahoma State. Javon Small led WVU in scoring with 17 points during the loss, and he was the only Mountaineer to reach double-digits.
The Buffaloes have lost three straight to begin Big 12 play, most recently a one-point loss to UCF on Wednesday. Colorado led 37-34 at halftime but turned the ball over 22 times in the loss. Colorado was led offensively by Julian Hammond who scored 26 points.
By The Numbers — Colorado (9-5, 0-3 Big 12)
Colorado is averaging 74.9 points per game this season, which is 12th in the Big 12. The Buffaloes are giving up 70.5 points per game, which ranks 11th in the conference. They are shooting 46.6 percent from the field, but their field goal defense is 11th in the conference.
From beyond the arc, Colorado is in the top half of the league in both offense and defense. They are shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc this season which is sixth in the country. They are 8th in 3-point defense. In Big 12 play, CU is 10th in 3-point offense and 14th in 3-point defense.
Over their last five games, their most frequent lineup on the floor has been Julian Hammond, RJ Smith, Andrej Jakimovski, Assane Diop, and Elijah Malone. Over their last five games, they have played 21.6 percent of the time together.
Hammond leads Colorado, averaging 13.6 points per game. Their next two top scorers are Jakimovski and Malone. Their height could present issues for the Mountaineers after Arizona was able to get to the paint at will and be successful.
"They were able to get in there a few times and just score over us," West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries said of the Wildcats' effort.
"They do have tremendous size across their entire team so it presents some challenges with their versatility and length all the way across the board," DeVries said of Colorado.
Colorado heads into Sunday ranked 81st in the NET. They are 1-4 in Quad 1 games and are 0-1 in Quad 2 games. This will be a Quad 2 game for the Buffaloes.
By The Numbers — West Virginia (11-3, 2-1 Big 12)
West Virginia is scoring 74.2 points per game this season but giving up 63.4 points per game this season, which is fourth-best in the Big 12. They are 13th in the league in field goal percentage at 43.5 percent but are third in the league in opponent field goal percentage at 38.2 percent.
WVU is shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc, and opponents are shooting just 27.9 percent from beyond the arc against the Mountaineers this season. West Virginia is forcing 13.8 turnovers per game and is turning the ball over 11.4 times per game.
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. They've played 25.1 percent of the game together over the last three games.
WVU's leading scorer is Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring as well, averaging 19.4 points per game this season. Amani Hansberry leads WVU in rebounds with 6.1 per game, while Small is second with 5.4 rebounds per game.
West Virginia is ranked 34th in the NET, and they are 3-3 in Quad 1 games, and 1-0 in Quad 2 games. This is considered a Quad 2 games for the Mountaineers.
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