The Mountaineers are looking to snap a two game losing streak and also break the logjam of five teams tied for sixth place in conference play. With Syracuse losing today at Louisville, the Orange suffer their sixth conference loss dropping them from 6th to 11th place. WVU started the day tied with St. John’s, Cincinnati, UConn and Marquette.
—WVU had its best shooting first half (55%) since the season opener vs. Oakland. WVU got points for eight players as they also shot 56% from three. WVU also shot well the first time out against DePaul in Chicago back on Feb. 12. The Mountaineers, however, let DePaul back into that game by turning the ball over 16 times. The key is not letting that happen again today.
—Captain Hook is at it again. Deniz Kilicli is after his third double figure scoring effort in the last four games. He dropped in another hook shot at the 14:00 mark as he has eight points in this game. Kilicli is 2-2 from the field as he is coming off that 19 point effort in the Pitt game.
—The Mountaineers were effective against the DePaul pressure in the first half as they broke down the floor quickly and got into the lane for easy baskets. Joe Mazzulla was often the key to that as he split the double team and made a quick pass. The Mountaineers have not been quiet as effective in the second half. WVU turned the ball over four times the entire first half. They had that many turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half.
—The Mountaineers have taken DePaul leading scorer Cleveland Melvin out of the game. Melvin, who scored 17 points against WVU in the game in Chicago, struggled in the first half as he went just 2-5 from the field. Melvin has played just three minutes in the second half so far at the mid-way point. Melvin has five points and has not been a factor.
—The Mountaineers broke the 80 point plateau in this game for the first time since Jan. 13 and the win over Providence. It’s a good sign for the Big Monday game at Syracuse.
—82-71 the final. The Mountaineers passed Syracuse in the standings today as they jump into sole possession (briefly) of 6th place with their 7th conference win. The Mountaineers will be joined in sixth place by the end of the weekend by the winner of the Cincinnati/St. John’s game. UConn can also pick up its 7th conference win Sunday at home against Providence.
—Two more very difficult games come up next week as WVU is at Syracuse (Monday) and home to Notre Dame (Saturday.)