West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries addressed the media ahead of the TCU game. WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
--On the defensive side, it's been a variety of things at times. In the first half West Virginia guarded Texas Tech well for the first 15 minutes, but then they got in transition and in the second half they hurt them on the interior. In other games, they've put teams at the free throw line too much. It's been a combination of things but when the defense has been good West Virginia is where they need to be.
--The impact of an eight man rotation can have an impact on defense. He doesn't think it's a reason why or why not at all though.
--DeVries said that the only communication before has been that the team is playing for something right now. They have to continue to do their part and these are meaningful games and they have to continue to try to put wins up there.
--DeVries doesn't have a magic number in mind but the message is let's go try to win and finish out the year. He believes they have a tournament team and a tournament resume but they have to finish the season off well.
--DeVries said that he felt they started off that TCU game well defensively in the first meeting but then they let them get to the rim and the free throw line. They can't have that type of free throw disparity and expect to win games on the road. They have to do a better job of keeping them in front of them.
--Punch had a good game against Cincinnati and has continued to grow as the season has developed. The Bearcats were aggressive driving the ball and getting downhill to put pressure on the rim. It was one of those games where Cincinnati had some good things going offensively and were able to pull away from TCU in the second half Saturday.
--Offensively the consistency shooting with the injuries has been a challenge for them. That's why they've continued to make defense a constant because they're able to control that. They have to make sure the defensive effort is consistent. On offense, they have to generate as many good shots as possible but the thing they can do is get good shots and that's the beauty of basketball. They can't make it go in but as long as they are taking good shots it's what they can control.
--DeVries said they are building up some frequent flyer miles. When they were in the Big East they went from Nebraska to the East Coast a lot so they've done it before. There are a couple trips that are a little longer, but you get in there the day before and have a chance to get rested up and ready for the game. DeVries doesn't look at the travel as a big deal because they have young men. Every team when you get into February it's about keeping guys fresh and healthy but everybody knows your concepts so it's a matter of staying sharp as you get into the last few games.
--You go into every game knowing what the opponent does and you won't change your entire identity every time out so they're going to feature who they want to feature and run their offense. You play to what you've been doing all year and run your offense.
--DeVries thought they had a really nice rhythm to their offense against Texas Tech in the first half and the guys were playing well with each other. Then they got anxious and it led to some quick shots and allowed them to get into transition. They had some open ones that they'd take again, but when you come up empty and are always playing in transition on defense it's hard to control against a team like Texas Tech.
--DeVries felt they got it into Amani Hansberry several times, but they didn't get him as clean of looks. They weren't there in the second half.
--The approach with Javon Small has been the same they need him to be aggressive. They've tried to adjust their offense to get him on the move to create an advantage for him and at times it's been good and other times it's been hard. He's handled it well and has continued to be aggressive. He got some pretty good looks the other night but they just didn't fall from three.
--West Virginia plays tough and physical defense and the players are doing a pretty good job of trying to maintain that discipline but they need to be less handsy.
--When they get that second or third guy scoring it's huge for the offense. Just getting a combination of guys where they are getting 8-12 points it makes a huge difference for them. That's why they are trying to find those guys shots and keep them confident. Toby Okani does a little bit of everything and when he's playing well that's the type of stuff he can do for them.
--DeVries said that they're pretty evenly matched with TCU and the first game played out that well. It comes down to who can make the most plays on a particular night and tomorrow night shouldn't be any different.
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