WVU Basketball Looks for Bounce Back Game Vs. Iona’s Press

After a disappointing performance in last week’s Backyard Brawl, WVU basketball might want a nice, easy game to win comfortably and get back on its feet. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, tonight’s opponent, Iona, isn’t that kind of team.

“They’re a new roster, but playing really hard,” WVU coach Darian DeVries said. “They’ve been down fairly big in a couple of games and have come all the way back. They just stay with it and if you let up, they’ll hit you with a 6-0 run really quickly.”

The Gaels might only be 1-3 and in the 200s in the KenPom rankings, but any team with a full-court press can be tricky and they’ve got a coach that knows how to pull the upset.

Second-year Iona coach Tobin Anderson’s name might ring a bell and March Madness fans probably remember his 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson team knocking off No. 1 Purdue in 2023.

“You can’t ever get comfortable, they don’t ever let you get comfortable,” DeVries said. “For our guys, that’s a different type of game than we’ve played in this year and I’ll be looking forward to seeing how we handle that.”

The Mountaineers (2-1) haven’t faced a full-court press yet this season, but they profile as a team that could handle it. Every member of the starting five, including center Amani Hansberry, has shown the ability to handle the ball and make good passes.

“For the most part, we keep things as simple as possible,” DeVries said of the team’s press break. “Just make sure you have good spacing, make sure you’re strong with the ball, go meet passes and be aggressive against it. The last thing you want to do is get put on your heels and now you’re allowing them to press with no consequences.”

A team that thrives on playing in transition themselves, DeVries said there will be opportunities for the Mountaineers to score as long as they can break the press.

Senior point guard Dejour Reaves is Iona’s leading scorer averaging 15.5 points per game. Senior forward Clarence Rupert is second, averaging 10.5 points per game and leads with 6.8 rebounds. As a team, the Gaels are only shooting 39.2% from the field and 29.5% on three-pointers.

Tipoff inside the WVU Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

For a related story, Mike Asti and Cody Nespor discuss how WVU basketball can rebound from the Brawl loss.