West Virginia will look to defend it's home court once again on Tuesday as they battle another team hailing from the state of Utah, the BYU Cougars. After losing 4-out of-the-last-5 games and dropping consecutive games at home, West Virginia was able secure the win on Saturday evening at the WVU Coliseum, cruising past Utah 72-61.
The win was big for the Mountaineers for several reasons, among those that it had an impact on the Big 12 standings as the two teams entered play with identical conference records. Now, when BYU visits the Coliseum, they will also enter with the same exact record as the Mountaineers -- 14-8 overall and 6-6 in Big 12 play.
In a matchup of two teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations, a win on Tuesday night could go a long way in making the big dance, while a loss could be detrimental to either team’s case. If WVU considers itself a true team that can compete in March, it must win games against these competitors with similar records. How can West Virginia get the job done and defend home court once again?
Three Keys to Victory for West Virginia in matchup with BYU on Tuesday Night
1. Javon Small needs to be the best player on the floor
Javon Small has been the best player on the floor for both teams competing on many occasions this season. Given that, it is no coincidence that Small has his team eyeing an NCAA Tournament bid. While it might seem like a bit of a cop-out key to victory, Small’s play is simply so vitally important to the Mountaineers’ success.
There’s a reason that Small leads the Big 12 in both scoring and minutes played, it is because West Virginia relies on him very heavily and his success is often indicative of team success. Even when not dropping 25+ points in a game, his work as a floor general dishing assists and causing chaos on defense is invaluable.
Even in West Virginia’s most recent matchup with the Utah Utes, Small was the engine that drove the offense, though he only attempted 5 field goals. He finished with 14 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers. But the win against Utah is just the second time in conference play that WVU won a game in which Javon Small was not the team’s leading scorer -- Eduardo Andre scored 15 at Kansas while Small scored 13.
If Small plays at the level that he has for the majority of the season, West Virginia will have a great chance to beat BYU.
2. Defensive Intensity
When West Virginia plays with an edge defensively, they are a difficult team to beat. In notable wins this season, WVU held Kansas to 61 points, Iowa State to 57, and both Cincinnati and Oklahoma State to 50. West Virginia ranks second in the Big 12 in points allowed, trailing only Houston who is arguably the nation’s best defense.
WVU ranks Top 5 in the Big 12 in both steals and blocks per game. While Small’s sensational play offensively has been a major storyline, both Small and his teammates have been pretty solid on the defensive end as well. And WVU is at their best when creating scoring opportunities in transition off turnovers.
With BYU coming for a visit, West Virginia must guard the three-point line. No one in the Big 12 attempts more threes per game than the BYU Cougars. In an age of college basketball where many teams live and die by the three, BYU fits that narrative. If West Virginia wants to secure back-to-back wins over teams with similar records and fully work past their mid-season slump, they need to avoid coming out flat and bring the intensity that the team has displayed on many occasions all season.
3. Battle Beyond the Arc
The aforementioned three-point shooting of BYU is a key to watch. What makes it a key for the Mountaineers is the fact that they too like to shoot the three-ball. BYU (28.7) and WVU (26.8) rank atop the Big 12 in three-point attempts per game.
While it remains to be seen which team will have the edge from beyond the arc on Tuesday, West Virginia can ill-afford to be on the wrong side of a significant margin in this area. When WVU is on-point from deep-range, it changes games -- the sweet spot of three-pointers needed often seems to be between 8-to-10 for WVU.
Tip-off for the WVU/BYU clash is set for 7PM EST on Tuesday evening, and can be found on CBS Sports Network.