WVU Basketball Hosts No. 2 Iowa State for Jerry West Day

The WVU basketball team has played its fair share of tough opponents this season, but the Iowa State squad coming into the Coliseum today might just be the best.

West Virginia (13-3, 3-2 Big 12) has already faced top-10 opponents in Gonzaga, Kansas and Houston, but the Cyclones (15-1, 5-0) come into Morgantown as the No. 2-ranked team in the country with no clear weaknesses.

“I think they’re championship-level good,” WVU coach Darian DeVries said Friday. “They’re a team that when they get in the tournament, they have a chance to win it all.”

Iowa State’s lone loss this season came to the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Auburn, 83-81 at the Maui Invitational back in November.

The Cyclones are once again great on defense, opponents shoot 40.7% and average 65.3 points, but they’ve also developed the best offense in the Big 12, averaging 85.4 points per game.

“They were really good last year too, but I think the component they’ve improved the most is the offense,” DeVries said. “They were great defensively last year, they’re great defensively against this year and now they can really score on top of it, which makes them even more of a challenge.”

ISU’s leading scorer is senior guard Curtis Jones, who comes off the bench to produce 17.8 points per game. Keshon Gilbert (15.5), Joshua Jefferson (11.9), Tamin Lipsey (10.4) and Milan Momcilovic (10.3) all score in double-figures as part of a balanced offensive attack.

Jones scored a game-high 26 points in Iowa State’s 85-85 overtime victory at Texas Tech on Saturday. He is the second-leading scorer in the Big 12, behind WVU’s Javon Small, averaging 19.4 points per game.

“Javon Small is probably one of the most aggressive players in the country,” ISU coach TJ Otzelberger said Friday. “He’s extremely valuable to their team. He does a great job of setting the tone and making plays for himself and his teammates.”

Small and the Mountaineers host Jones and the Cyclones today at 5 p.m. in the Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

West Virginia will be wearing throwback uniforms to honor the memory of legendary Mountaineer Jerry West.

For a related story, WVU basketball excited to host Iowa State in sold-out Coliseum.