West Virginia’s Jonathan Holton was 1-of-9 in the season opener, part of the Mountaineers’ 26-percent shooting overall.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia may have been expecting a pair of early-season tuneups, but this weekend tipped off with a jarring start.
After needing a laterally to beat Monmouth on Friday, the Mountaineers (1-0) prepare for a Sunday encore against a team that’s more skilled and more seasoned. Lafayette (1-0) built a 40-point lead in its season-opening win at Robert Morris and, with its entire rotation returning, may be built for its first NCAA tournament berth since 2000.
Tip time is 3 p.m. Sunday at the WVU Coliseum with local TV coverage by Root.
West Virginia, seeking to build an NCAA resume after falling short of the tournament the past two years, seemingly can’t afford a slip-up on its home court before heading off for three games in Puerto Rico.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Lafayette Leopards, whose roster includes seven guys 6-8 or taller and nine economics majors:
Lafayette last season: 11-20 overall, 6-12 in Patriot League
This season: Beat Robert Morris 77-50 in the opener after being picked fourth in 10-team Patriot League.
About the school: Located in Easton, Pa., Lafayette’s alums include former Princeton coach Pete Carril and “Red Badge of Courage” author Stephen Crane (one semester)
Coach: Fran O’Hanlon is 270-295 in his 20th season at Lafayette
Line: West Virginia favored by 13
Leopards to watch: 6-foot-8 guard Seth Hinrichs (16.4 points and six rebounds per game last season) scored 15 at Robert Morris, but Australian forward Dan Trist poured in 21 and sophomore point guard Nick Linder added 18. Joey Ptasinki (11.4 ppg) and Bryce Scott (11.5) round out a starting five that double figures “We’d better get better by Sunday, because they’re really good,” said Huggins.
Mountaineers to watch: Juwan Staten needed a while to get going against Monmouth and Jonathan Holton (1-of-9 shooting) never got going. Devin Williams had a double-double but made only 3-of-14 shots from close. The timetable is fuzzy for the return of BillyDee Williams, who suffered a broken orbital bone in practice last week.
Why an upset is possible: Because Lafayette has balanced scoring and proven 3-point shooters after ranking No. 8 nationally last season at 39.8 percent. West Virginia would struggle against any opponent when it shoots as poorly as it did against Monmouth on Friday.
