WVU Basketball
Mountaineers Host Rams Before Conference Play Starts
Team Stats |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 63.1 | 84.6 |
| Points Against | 64.8 | 62.9 |
| Field Goal % | 40.2 | 43.0 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 30.4 | 41.1 |
| Assists Per Game | 12.5 | 15.7 |
| Blocks Per Game | 2.7 | 5.5 |
| Steals Per Game | 11.1 | 10.7 |
| Streak | W1 | W10 |
Tip-Off: Noon est
TV: AT&T Sportsnet
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-1) host the Fordham Rams (5-6), in the last non-conference game before conference play starts.
The Mountaineers are 2-0 all-time versus the Rams. It will be exactly 68 years since these two teams met on the hardwood, on December 23rd, 1949, and West Virginia won the game, 61-37.
Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer served as an assistant under John Beilein from 2002-2005. As a head coach he holds a 219-167 (.567) record.
Starting Senior guard, Will Tavares (6’6” 205-lbs) leads the team in scoring, with 16.6 points per game, followed by forward Prokop Slanina (6’10” 225-lbs) at 12.8 and guard Joseph Chartouny (6’3” 205-lbs) with 10.8.
Rounding out the starting five is forward Ivan Raut (6’7” 200-lbs) and guard Tre Evans (6’2” 185-lbs).
The Rams are not a deep team and I don’t expect them to play more than 8 players, but with the full court pressure West Virginia brings, Fordham may have to go a little deeper of their bench.
Guard Perris Hicks (6’1” 180-lbs), guard Cavit Havsa (6’4” 160-lbs) and forward David Pekarek (6’7” 210-lbs) will all come off the bench.
Fordham forces 17.3 turnovers per game, with 11 steals. This teams’ strength is their defense. Look for them to switch up in multiple zone and man defenses to try and keep the Mountaineers off balance.
The Rams are not good offensively. They struggle with the three ball (27.7%), but take high percentage mid-range jumpers, and will work the ball inside.
The Mountaineers need to continue to work on their offense and be patient. They need to go through their progressions and get into rhythm. It would be good to see Sagaba Konate get back into the flow on the offensive end of the floor.
After the horrendous shooting performance on Wednesday night against Coppin State, they need to have a better shooting night before conference play starts next Friday night in Stillwater. Slowing down, being patient, and taking quality shots, should help remedy the problem.
West Virginia will win this game with ease. The offense still has some struggling shooting, but the Mountaineers go onto win 91-56.
