WVU Basketball

5 Things to Know Before WVU vs. Iowa State

Published

1 year ago

February 27, 2023

Joe Toussaint celebrates during a huge win Feb. 4 over the Oklahoma Sooners. (WVSN photo/Kelsie LeRose)

West Virginia travels to Ames, IA, for their final Big 12 road game of the season against Iowa State on Monday night. Let’s take a look at five things to know before the game.

First Matchup: Mountaineers Upset Cyclones in Foul-Filled Game

Back on Feb. 8, West Virginia hosted then-No. 11 Iowa State in a game that consisted of 49 combined fouls. The Mountaineers ended up winning 76-71 after Joe Toussaint drew a charge in the final seconds to secure the game.

Cyclones had an opportunity at the end of the game to regain the lead but a missed transition layup by Caleb Grill help send WVU back to the free throw line. Toussaint helped close the game by hitting a pair of free throws and drawing a charge with seconds remaining.

West Virginia started out Big 12 play 0-5 and is 6-6 since. Iowa State started out 6-2 and is 2-7 since.

WVU Played Hard Versus Kansas Despite 21 Turnovers

Against No. 3 Kansas on Saturday, West Virginia went down the floor with an opportunity to tie or win the game at the end of regulation. A travel by Toussaint resulted in WVU taking the loss, but that doesn’t reflect on how the team played. West Virginia, despite turning the ball over 21 times, got back into the game by forcing turnovers and creating second chance opportunities.

There’s no room to give West Virginia any more moral victories as they need to win a game or two to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Mo Wague Out Indefinitely

It was announced an hour before the Kansas game that West Virginia forward Mohamed Wague is sidelined indefinitely with a right foot injury. Wague has played in all 28 games during his first season with WVU.

Sources tell WV Sports Now that Wague’s injury is a stress fracture that has built up for a few games now.

Wague is averaging 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Mountaineers this season. Wague is shooting 74 percent from the field during his sophomore season.

Wague’s absence will be huge for the frontcourt depth. Jimmy Bell, James Okonkwo and Pat Suemnick are all active to play at the five.