Queue Country Roads: Is WVU back?

On Saturday, Jan. 18, the West Virginia Mountaineers scaled a giant, taking down the number two ranked team in the country, the Iowa State Cyclones.

After a slow start by both teams in the first half led to a 25-24 halftime lead for the Mountaineers, these teams would continue their poor offensive performance into the second half.

Neither team could find a rhythm in this game, this would prove to be an advantage for the underdog Mountaineers.

But the biggest advantage for the Mountaineers proved to be their transfer Guard Javon Small, the former Oklahoma State player proved to be key for the Mountaineers as he has been all season.

The two-way guard is averaging 19.8 points, which is 19th in the nation, while also providing five assists, five rebounds and two steals per game. But in this major game, it was Small’s field goal efficiency and ability to get to the line that ended up being the difference maker.

With 12 of his 27 points falling in the final two minutes of the game, and all seven of his free throws coming in the last six minutes, this infusion of simple buckets allowed the Mountaineers to settle in on defense and play solidly to close out the Cyclones.

This would provide them with their first in-conference loss of the season and their second loss overall.

This very uncharacteristic loss for the Iowa State Cyclones is not without reason though, as there is a simple statistic that answers why they lost this game: the team’s three-point shooting percentage.

Overall this season, the Cyclones shoot 34.3% from three-point range on an average of 20.5 attempts per game.

That did not happen on Saturday against the Mountaineers though, as Iowa State shot an abysmal 0-11 from three in the first half and it only minorly improved as they ended the night 1-17 from distance.

If you overlook their staggering lack of three-point shooting and take a glance at the shooting by West Virginia you would not be too impressed either, in fact, you may have assumed this would lead to an Iowa State victory.

The Mountaineers shot just 22-56 from the field on the night, which means that the Cyclones held West Virginia to shooting below 40% from the field, but with nine of those made baskets being three-point shots, it becomes more clear where the final score separates and leads to a huge win for West Virginia.

The consequences for Iowa State were fairly minor, sliding them down below the Duke Blue Devils as they looked to bounce back before playing two colossal games against Kansas, which is currently No. 12 in the nation, and Houston, which is currently No. 7.

This win is not just major for the resume of West Virginia as they attempt to earn themselves an upper seed in this iteration of the big dance.

The effects of this win can already be seen, as it has propelled West Virginia into the top 25 as they currently sit as the 23rd-best team in the nation.

Beyond that, it provided all those in attendance with a lifelong memory as the West Virginia faithful got to rush the court and celebrate their upset with the players who put it all out on the court. Together they created an image that will be reused many times by West Virginia, an ensemble of fans and players singing Country Roads by John Denver on the court of the WVU Coliseum.

Massimo Manfra is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mgm6116@psu.edu.