West Virginia and Iowa State meet Tuesday night to end the losing streak
The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-9, 2-7) look for victory after losing their seventh game in a row on Saturday afternoon and welcome the Iowa State Cyclones team (16-7, 3-7) on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Huh. Streaming on ESPN+.
TJ Oetzelberger is in his first year at the helm at Ames. His last two stops with the program were 2006–2013 and 2015–16 as an assistant before earning his first head coaching gig at South Dakota State. He won two regular season titles, a conference tournament championship, and made three postseason appearances during his tenure. Then, he took over the UNLV for two seasons and was on the verge of changing the historic schedule before returning to Iowa State.
The Cyclones got off to a hot start in the first year, posting 12 consecutive wins, including overtaking Javier nationally, and followed it up with a win over a top 10 Memphis team behind a skimpy defense, giving opponents 56.1 points. Caught on per game. And made him stand in the eighth place in the country.
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins said, "They're playing 1-3-1. They're playing 1-1-3. They're playing the man. They're applying some pressure -- court pressing and full court." Pressing." "That's what he does. That's his personality."
The Cyclones started 2–5 on the Big 12 Conference Wall and defeated Mizo 67–50 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge before winning Oklahoma State. However, they are coming into the game and facing back-to-back defeats.
In league play, opponent points per game have jumped to 68.0 ppg, and a Cyclone defense that was catching an opposition of 36.9% off the field in the first 12 games climbed to 48.0%, ranking last in the Big 12.
However, Penn State transfer Isaiah Brockington to Iowa State has continuity. The senior is playing his way into the Big 12 Player of the Year competition, sitting at the top of the conference with seven doubles doubles, and his eight 20-point performances tied with West Virginia guard Taz Sherman, and his team- The leading 16.9 PPG is in fourth place. in the league.
"It's been a year for Brockington. He's played really well for them. He's big-time athletic," Huggins said. "He can make athletic plays, and since he's been there [Iowa State], he's been shooting the ball a lot better. He's shooting the ball better than he can at Penn State, and that's his Can make [shots] of himself."
Guards Tyrese Hunter and Gabe Kalschuur combine for 20.4 PPG.
Cyclones have the same issues as climbers. Both have struggled to find production at the frontcourt, and both are in the negative column in the rebounding margin rankings near the bottom.
March 3, 2020; Ames, Iowa, USA; The West Virginia Mountaineers lead Gabe Osabuohian (3) score in front of Iowa State Cyclones forward Michael Jacobson (12) at the Hilton Coliseum. West Virginia defeated Iowa State 77 to 71.
West Virginia awaits the return of their leading scorer Taz Sherman. They suffered a loss to Baylor last Monday and were out on Saturday in a seven-point loss to Texas Tech, where the team scored only 4-32 off the ground in the second half.
Senior guard Sean McNeill has been the most consistent scorer outside Sherman. He averaged 15.4 points in his first five conference games, but fell silent in three consecutive games before scoring 14 and 16 points in his last two games, respectively. In contrast, forward Gabe Osabuohin has increased his output by averaging 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in the last four games, but it is his defensive tenacity that has kept the climbers within striking distance.
West Virginia is 11-8 all-time versus Iowa State and has won the last five meetings.