Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — West Virginia will get another crack at college basketball’s toughest assignment Saturday afternoon when it travels to Tucson to face top-ranked Arizona.
It marks the 17th time the Mountaineers have played the nation’s No. 1 team. The most recent came Dec. 2, 2020, when WVU dropped an 87-82 decision to Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Mountaineers have five all-time wins against top-ranked opponents, most recently a memorable 89-68 rout of Baylor on Jan. 10, 2017, in Morgantown — then the largest loss ever suffered by a No. 1 team.
The Wildcats (19-0, 6-0 Big 12) have owned the top spot since week six and are the unanimous No. 1 in this week’s AP Poll for the first time in program history. Arizona has paired a spotless conference start with marquee nonleague wins over Florida, UCLA, Connecticut, Auburn and Alabama, and has rolled past Utah, Kansas State, TCU, Arizona State, UCF and Cincinnati in Big 12 play.
Only Arizona State (89-82) and UCF (84-77) have managed to keep games within single digits against the Wildcats in conference action.
“Welcome to the Big 12,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said on this week’s United Bank Playbook segment. “We’ve already played at Iowa State and at Houston, and now we get to play against the No. 1 team in the country, but that’s what you love about this league. It’s going to challenge you in a lot of different ways and with that you get presented some incredible opportunities.”
The Wildcats balance and physicality headline those challenges. Arizona has seven players who have scored at least 20 points in a game this season with five averaging double figures. Freshman forward Koa Peat leads the way at 14.6 points per game and has been especially effective in league play.
“He’s so physical and he has such a great combination of balance, speed and physicality where he can control his body to where he’s not just bowling into you and falling down and charging,” Hodge said. “He can really carve out space and he’s so good in that foul line area. He puts a lot of stress on the interior of your defense.”
The Wildcats among the nation’s leaders in rebounding margin, scoring margin and field-goal percentage, while ranking second nationally in points in the paint. Guard Jaden Bradley has emerged as a late-clock option, averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 assists in conference play.
“It’s the combination of these things that has put them in the position they are in right now — it’s not like they are big and can’t play basketball,” Hodge said. “They’re big and can play basketball, and then when things get tight for them, (guard) Jaden Bradley has the ability to make late-clock shots and big plays in big moments.”
Hodge emphasized composure as essential inside the McKale Center, where Arizona owns one of the nation’s best home records under coach Tommy Lloyd.
“You’ve got to weather their storms the best you can and try and minimize their runs — make the 6-0 or 7-0 runs and not 22-2 or 15-5 type of runs,” he said. “You just don’t want to help them. You don’t want to spit the ball out and turn it over and now they’re in transition and now they’re getting their size and athleticism into the game.
“You’ve got to do your absolute best to give them one shot, and one shot only, because the last thing you want to do is to give a very efficient offensive team more than one shot.”
The Mountaineers (13-6, 4-2) enter the matchup riding momentum after earning their first road win of the season Wednesday night at Arizona State. Treysen Eaglestaff matched his season high with 23 points, making eight of his 14 field-goal attempts.
The senior has reached double figures in all but two Big 12 games and is shooting 48.6 percent from 3-point range in conference play. He’s now averaging 10.6 points per game after lifting his overall shooting percentage to 42 percent.
Senior guard Honor Huff leads WVU with 16.6 points per game and sits 70th in NCAA history with 362 career 3-pointers, needing 17 more to crack the top 50. Senior forward Brenen Lorient adds 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at the McKale Center, with the game airing nationally on CBS.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
