Thursday, November 26
Sioux Falls, S.D.
2:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
VCU
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia
Mountaineers, Rams Meet Today on ESPN
November 26, 2020 09:59 AM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No. 15 West Virginia continues play in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a 2:30 p.m. ET meeting against VCU that will be televised nationally on ESPN.
The Rams used a strong second half to defeat Utah State 85-69 in last night's concluding game. Six-three sophomore guard Bones Hyland poured in a career-high 23 points, shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point range, while 6-foot-6 junior forward Vince Williams contributed 15.
VCU, coached by Mike Rhoades, is coming off an 18-13 season last year with a very strong KenPom rating of 31 as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. At one point, the Rams were 17-6 and eyeing an NCAA Tournament bid before things collapsed.
Just one starter (Hyland) returns from last year's team.
Meanwhile, West Virginia (1-0) advanced in the winner's bracket with last night's 79-71 victory over pesky South Dakota State. West Virginia led by as many as 12 early in the second half, but the Jackrabbits kept it a two-possession game until a late flurry helped the Mountaineers pull away.
Sophomore guard Deuce McBride poured in a career-high 23 points, junior guard Sean McNeil contributed a career-high 16 and Taz Sherman came off the bench to add 14.
West Virginia attempted 32 3-point field goals and made just eight, while shooting 39% overall from the floor.
Junior forward Derek Culver contributed a game-high 14 rebounds while touted Oscar Tshiebwe managed just 7 points and three rebounds after being saddled with early foul trouble.
In the other bracket, Memphis advanced with a 73-56 win over Saint Mary's and today will face Western Kentucky, which downed Northern Iowa 93-87.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app WVU Gameday.
Veteran play-by-play man Tony Caridi and analyst Jay Jacobs are calling the action in Morgantown from a remote broadcast setup.
Today's game will only be the third-ever meeting between these two schools and the first since 1985, when the Mountaineers lost 72-60 to the Rams at the Richmond Coliseum.
The only other game took place at the Charleston Civic Center on Dec. 18, 1982, as a part of the Mountaineer Classic when WVU claimed a 66-65 victory.
Today's winner will face the Memphis-Western Kentucky winner in tomorrow's championship game.
The Rams used a strong second half to defeat Utah State 85-69 in last night's concluding game. Six-three sophomore guard Bones Hyland poured in a career-high 23 points, shooting 5-of-10 from 3-point range, while 6-foot-6 junior forward Vince Williams contributed 15.
VCU, coached by Mike Rhoades, is coming off an 18-13 season last year with a very strong KenPom rating of 31 as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. At one point, the Rams were 17-6 and eyeing an NCAA Tournament bid before things collapsed.
Just one starter (Hyland) returns from last year's team.
Highlights from West Virginia's victory over South Dakota State on Wednesday evening in the Crossover Classic.#HailWV | @CocaCola pic.twitter.com/yV98id9nHH
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) November 26, 2020
Meanwhile, West Virginia (1-0) advanced in the winner's bracket with last night's 79-71 victory over pesky South Dakota State. West Virginia led by as many as 12 early in the second half, but the Jackrabbits kept it a two-possession game until a late flurry helped the Mountaineers pull away.
Sophomore guard Deuce McBride poured in a career-high 23 points, junior guard Sean McNeil contributed a career-high 16 and Taz Sherman came off the bench to add 14.
West Virginia attempted 32 3-point field goals and made just eight, while shooting 39% overall from the floor.
Junior forward Derek Culver contributed a game-high 14 rebounds while touted Oscar Tshiebwe managed just 7 points and three rebounds after being saddled with early foul trouble.
In the other bracket, Memphis advanced with a 73-56 win over Saint Mary's and today will face Western Kentucky, which downed Northern Iowa 93-87.
Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College radio coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the popular mobile app WVU Gameday.
Veteran play-by-play man Tony Caridi and analyst Jay Jacobs are calling the action in Morgantown from a remote broadcast setup.
Today's game will only be the third-ever meeting between these two schools and the first since 1985, when the Mountaineers lost 72-60 to the Rams at the Richmond Coliseum.
The only other game took place at the Charleston Civic Center on Dec. 18, 1982, as a part of the Mountaineer Classic when WVU claimed a 66-65 victory.
Today's winner will face the Memphis-Western Kentucky winner in tomorrow's championship game.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballTV Highlights: WVU 81, Lafayette 59
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