AMES — Following Wednesday’s 17-point win at home over No. 9 Kansas, No. 2 Iowa State prepares to head out east in a battle against West Virginia Saturday.
The Mountaineers sit at an overall record of 12-4 and are 3-2 in the Big 12. They will enter fresh off a 70-54 loss to No. 10 Houston in the Lone Star State.
However, despite just losing to a tough Cougars squad, West Virginia has had multiple key wins this season over ranked opponents, such as then-No. 3 Gonzaga, then-No. 24 Arizona and then-No. 7 Kansas in Lawrence to open up conference play.
The matchup against the Wildcats did not count towards either team’s Big 12 records, as it was played on a neutral site and planned while Arizona was still in the Pac-12.
Nonetheless, the Mountaineers have proven to go up against top-tier competition and have come out on top amongst some of the best teams in the country.
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger admires what West Virginia has done to this point, and is looking forward to taking on a team of such caliber.
“Really good team,” Otzelberger said. “You don’t beat programs like Gonzaga, Arizona, or Kansas if you’re not a really good team.”
Spearheading the Mountaineers this season has been senior guard Javon Small, who not only leads West Virginia, but leads the entire Big 12 conference in scoring at 19.4 points per game.
The 6-foot 3-inch guard has achieved this through 42.6% field goal shooting and 36.6% 3-point shooting, on a team-high 35.9 minutes per game. Small also averages 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Otzelberger understands that it will be a top priority for the Cyclones to contain Small and his aggressive scoring tendencies if they want to keep their big win streak going.
“Javon Small is one of the more aggressive players in the country and is extremely valuable to their team,” Otzelberger said. “He sets the tone, makes good plays for himself and his teammates while playing with a tremendous level of confidence.”
This upcoming game against the Mountaineers will also be the second game that Iowa State will be without starting sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic, but it proved to not be an issue in the Cyclones’ big win over the Jayhawks.
Senior guard Curtis Jones filled into the starting lineup in replace of Momcilovic, and needless to say, he still performed at a high rate just like he has been off the bench this season.
Along with the move to have Jones in the starting lineup, senior center Dishon Jackson was demoted from his starting role in Wednesday night’s match against Kansas after missing a mandatory film session during the week of preparation.
But despite coming off the bench, Jackson still made the most of his opportunities, as he went on to have 17 points, and now looks to move past his mistake for the future.
“I definitely beat myself up for it,” Jackson said. “They didn’t really try to get on me too much about it, they just told me don’t let it happen again and it won’t.”
Another player who got to see more court action than he was used to this season was junior guard Demarion Watson. In his 10 minutes of playing time, he shined.
Watson has been waiting patiently to see his opportunity arise, which has now arrived following the injury to Momcilovic.
“It’s always having that mentality of ‘next man up’,” Watson said. “It’s cliché, but if you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.”
The ‘next man up’ mentality will once again have to be utilized in Iowa State’s upcoming matchup in enemy territory, as West Virginia has been known to bring a loud environment with its passionate fanbase.
The clash between the Cyclones and Mountaineers will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday from Morgantown. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
