WVU men's basketball earned win number five to stay undefeated on the season in an efficient and impressive 81-59 victory over the Lafayette Leopards at the Hope Coliseum on Monday night in Morgantown. Here are some initial takeaways from the West Virginia Mountaineers win.
DJ Thomas Has Career Night
We've said it before, but let's hit it one more time: DJ Thomas really doesn't play like a freshman. Especially one that didn't have any Power 5 offers, and initially committed to head coach Ross Hodge at North Texas. Thomas had a career night against Lafayette as he exploded for 25 points and three rebounds to lead the team in scoring in just his fifth-career collegiate game. He was 11-of-17 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line in a somewhat rocky shooting night for the Mountaineers at the charity stripe. He is a difference maker for the Mountaineers off the bench as a true freshman, and that's going to matter in Big 12 play.
Shooting Efficiency Is Promising
The Mountaineers were 29-of-58 from the field (50 percent) and 9-of-20 from behind-the-arc (45 percent) against the Leopards on Monday night. They scored 81 points, which isn't anything too crazy. But they were efficient. A lot of this was Honor Huff's three-point spree – more on that in it's own article – and Thomas having his career game. And it is just Lafayette. But that type of efficiency shooting the ball is also important in conference play.
Points Off Turnovers
The Mountaineers forced 19 turnovers and scored 20 points off those turnovers against Lafayette. Once again, chalk it up to the easier non-conference opponent, but those are numbers reminiscent of the Bob Huggins' 'Press Virginia' days that carried the Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 and beyond several times. WVU might be getting back to the defensive identity it established over the past couple of decades, at least in spirit, if not the exact scheme.
Bench Play Provides A Big Spark
The Mountaineers saw nearly half their scoring come from the bench, with 39 bench points. Okay, a lot of this is Thomas once again. But Amir Jenkins did add nine points, and Morris Ugusuk added five. And the bench scoring will only get deeper as Jackson Fields and Chance Moore return in the near future, with Moore set to be back this weekend after averaging 13 points last season at St. Bonaventure. For a team that has struggled with depth and scoring versatility in recent seasons, it's a breath of fresh air.