No. 10 WVU looks to secure No. 2 seed on senior day
The No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament will be on the line when No. 10 West Virginia (23-7, 11-6) plays host to No. 24 Iowa State inside the Coliseum Friday night.
If the Mountaineers are able to beat the Cyclones for the second time this season, they will clinch the No. 2 seed in the league tournament in Kansas City next week by virtue of tie breakers. If they lose, West Virginia will fall to the No. 4 seed, with Iowa State claiming that No. 2 spot.
It will represent the final home game for forward Nathan Adrian, guard Tarik Phillip, forward Brandon Watkins, guard Teyvon Myers and guard James Long as each of the five will be recognized before the game as part of the senior day festivities. Each have played an integral role in advancing the program.
“They’ve competed at the highest level. I’ve said it many times this league is harder than the Big East. There is no bottom in this league. So they’ve done it against the best out there,” head coach Bob Huggins said. “We’ve probably played more ranked teams than any time in school history.”
But even with the seniors making their final home appearance at the Coliseum that will somewhat take a back seat due to the stakes at hand in the game.
“We have to win this game. That takes precedent over anything else,” Adrian said.
Iowa State has won six of seven games since losing 85-72 at home to the Mountaineers Jan. 31. During that stretch the Cyclones have notched wins on the road at Kansas, against Baylor and over a red hot Oklahoma State team. The Cyclones have gone bigger and are shooting the ball at a high percentage during the course of the current stretch.
“I think the last six games they’re shooting 50-percent from the field, 49-percent from three, 78-percent from the foul line and has the guy with the best ball security in America handling the ball,” Huggins said.
That would be senior point guard Monte Morris who is the catalyst for the Cyclones on the offensive end averaging 16.1 points and 6.2 assists with only one turnover per contest. In the first meeting, West Virginia held Morris in check with only eight points on 4-14 from the field with only two assists and a turnover. A large part of that came from the effort on the defensive end, Huggins said.
“We stayed in front of him and made him take hard shots,” he said.
The five seniors have been involved in some major wins during their time at West Virginia
West Virginia also could receive another boost with sophomore Esa Ahmad apparently set to return to the lineup after missing the previous three games due to a back strain. Ahmad practiced both Wednesday and Thursday but Huggins isn’t sure where he will fit into the rotations.
“I wanted to see if he could go and he got through it,” he said. “He didn’t cramp up that’s the most important thing.”
That depends on what the Mountaineers try to do but there is no question that Ahmad brings a rebounding presence that West Virginia has missed the past several games.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.