West Virginia has been connected on the defensive end of the floor.
That has been especially evident over the first half of the two Big 12 Conference games where the Mountaineers have limited both Kansas and Oklahoma State in a major way.
In the road upset against No. 7 Kansas, West Virginia held the Jayhawks to just 20 points, 7-24 (29.2) from the field, 2-7 (28.6) from three, forced five turnovers, and kept them at just .690 points per possession in the first half.
The encore in the first half against Oklahoma State was even more impressive, holding the Cowboys to 19 points in the first half going 7-28 (25.) from the field, 2-12 (16.7) from three, forced 10 turnovers and limited the visitors to just .543 points per possession.
“I thought defensively the guys were terrific. We're really locked in,” DeVries said. “We took a lot of their driving angles away and did a nice job there and then we were able to get steals, offensive or defensive rebounds and get out in transition and push.”
The Mountaineers largely used their effort on the defensive end as a catalyst on offense, taking a 7-4 lead just over six minutes into the game and pushing it out to a 32-7 edge with just six minutes remaining in the first half. West Virginia was able to take the Cowboys out of what they wanted to do and used those turnovers to get easy baskets on the other end of the floor.
While the game plan will differ from team to team, West Virginia used a heavy gap defensive look against Oklahoma State to prevent them from getting into the paint. That kept the Cowboys from being able to do what they do best which is scoring layups and getting to the foul line. The communication was critical, too.
The Mountaineers got stretched out a little bit more in the second half which allowed the Cowboys to get downhill but they still did a strong job of preventing them from getting into transition.
Overall, DeVries believes that his group has great versatility and athleticism which allows them to be in a gap but also be able to challenge on the catch to contest shots. There is a fine balance between keeping people out of the paint and being able to be tough and physical on those catches.
“That takes a lot of talent and some time for them to get there but this group has, I think, figured that out fairly quickly. They’re able to, we call it, make one movement so you’re already in position,” DeVries said. “As opposed to trying to get in position and then it’s too late.”
It’s part of the growth on that end of the floor which has allowed them to be aggressive and disruptive but at the same time not be too spread out to open up driving lanes.
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