WVU Basketball Faces No. 3 Gonzaga in Battle 4 Atlantis Opener

If the game against Pitt was a test, Wednesday’s matchup with Gonzaga might as well be the bar exam for the WVU basketball team.

That’s the kind of challenge the No. 3 Bulldogs (5-0) represent for the Mountaineers (3-1) in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.

“They’re a great opponent off to a very good start,” WVU coach Darian DeVries said Tuesday. “I think they’re certainly deserving of their early-season accolades.”

WVU failed its test against the Panthers two weeks ago, losing by 24 points in a game that wasn’t competitive for very long. Pitt was WVU’s first game against a major conference opponent and Wednesday is WVU’s first game against a ranked opponent.

Passing the test presented by Gonzaga doesn’t necessarily mean knocking off the No. 3 Bulldogs, but just coming out of it a better team when all is said and done.

“The biggest thing for us is just to continue to get better and continue to grow,” DeVries said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to get a feel for where we’re at with things.”

Gonzaga has mostly breezed through its early-season schedule, with the only close game being an eight-point win over Arizona State.

Against West Virginia, Gonzaga coach Mark Few said senior forward Tucker DeVries is the player to watch.

“He gets a lot of usage,” Few said. “Anything inside of 28 feet is a legitimate shot for him, so we’ve got to be very leary of that.”

The Bulldogs have five players averaging double-digit points and put up 93.2 points per game as a team. Starting guards Khalif Battle (14.4 points), Ryan Nembhard (12.2) and Nolan Hickman (11.2) are all shooting over 40% on three-pointers this season. Big men Graham Ike (14.6 points) and Braden Huff (14.0) average over 28 combined points per game.

“I think that’s what makes their team so challenging to try and defend,” DeVries said.

“They have a great interior presence and they also have great skill and efficiency out on the perimeter. They can really try to take advantage of you in multiple ways.”

West Virginia and Gonzaga tip off in the Bahamas at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

For a related story, WVU basketball faces a stacked Battle 4 Atlantis field.