Tuesday, November 14
Morgantown, W.Va.
7 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Jacksonville State
Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
WVU to Battle Jacksonville State Tuesday Night in Morgantown
November 13, 2023 02:31 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia looks to bounce back from last Friday night's disappointing loss to Monmouth with a Tuesday night nonconference meeting against Jacksonville State, now a member of Conference USA.
The Gamecocks played in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2021, made a two-year stop in the Atlantic Sun and are now first-year members of Conference USA as a byproduct of the school elevating the profile of its football program under former WVU coach Rich Rodriguez.
Jacksonville State is currently 1-1 following last Saturday's 81-79 overtime home loss to Utah Tech. The Gamecocks began the season with a 91-41 home victory over NAIA Brescia earlier in the week.
Guard KyKy Tandy, once an All-Big East Freshman Team performer for Xavier, is averaging 16 points and has made a team-best four 3-point field goals so far this year.
Transfer portal addition Quincy Clark, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, is averaging 14 points and junior college transfer Caleb Johnson, a 6-foot-5 forward, is averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Marcellus Brigham Jr., a 6-foot-7 junior, has scored 20 points in two games and has pulled down a team-high-tying 12 rebounds, the same amount as Eastern Florida State College import Andres Burney.
Jacksonville State used a starting lineup consisting of Tandy, Clark, Brigham Jr., 6-foot-10 forward Mason Nicholson and 6-foot-6 forward Travis Roberts against Utah Tech.
The Gamecocks have just two starters returning from last year's team that posted a 13-18 record and did not qualify for the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
West Virginia, meanwhile, is dealing with a severely limited roster that includes just nine players currently available for action. Eight played in last Friday night's loss to Monmouth, and with the exception of forward Jesse Edwards, all struggled to make shots.
Overall, West Virginia (1-1) shot 31.3% from the floor and just 21.9% from 3-point range. Edwards led the Mountaineers with 16 points and 13 rebounds – his second double-double of the season, while forward Quinn Slazinski contributed 15.
Monmouth opted to stay in a 2-3 zone and dared West Virginia to shoot jump shots for a good portion of the game. Defensively, WVU had great difficulty containing Monmouth's senior guard Xander Rice, who poured in a game-high 30 points, including 20 after intermission.
"Our execution offensively wasn't perfect by any means, but it seemed like we were getting pretty good shots, and they just weren't falling," West Virginia coach Josh Eilert said afterward. "You don't want to harp on it too much, but we struggled to get that thing over the rim once our legs got a little bit gassed, and that has a lot to do with shooting that basketball."
West Virginia is hoping to get more out its backcourt with games looming in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament early next week against SMU, Virginia or Wisconsin.
The Mountaineers will be without guard Kerr Kriisa for seven more games as he fulfills requirements for his NCAA-imposed suspension, while the status of guard RaeQuan Battle's NCAA waiver appeal and forward Akok Akok's health are still unclear.
Akok has not played since suffering a medical emergency in West Virginia's charity exhibition game against George Mason on Oct. 27.
"We're definitely struggling with a lack of depth trying to keep fresh legs out there," Eilert noted. "When you don't have fresh legs, it's definitely going to be a struggle."
Jacksonville State made one prior appearance at the Coliseum on Dec. 22, 2018, and West Virginia had to rally from a one-point deficit with five minutes to go to hold on for a 74-72 victory.
Gamecocks coach Ray Harper was on the sidelines for that contest.
Tuesday night's game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+ (Andrew Caridi, Warren Baker and Anjelica Trinone).
Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi and David Kahn gets underway at 6 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday mobile apps.
The Jacksonville State game is West Virginia's annual toy drive. Any fan who donates a toy will receive a free ticket to any upcoming WVU women's basketball home game this season.
The Gamecocks played in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2021, made a two-year stop in the Atlantic Sun and are now first-year members of Conference USA as a byproduct of the school elevating the profile of its football program under former WVU coach Rich Rodriguez.
Jacksonville State is currently 1-1 following last Saturday's 81-79 overtime home loss to Utah Tech. The Gamecocks began the season with a 91-41 home victory over NAIA Brescia earlier in the week.
Guard KyKy Tandy, once an All-Big East Freshman Team performer for Xavier, is averaging 16 points and has made a team-best four 3-point field goals so far this year.
Transfer portal addition Quincy Clark, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, is averaging 14 points and junior college transfer Caleb Johnson, a 6-foot-5 forward, is averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Marcellus Brigham Jr., a 6-foot-7 junior, has scored 20 points in two games and has pulled down a team-high-tying 12 rebounds, the same amount as Eastern Florida State College import Andres Burney.
Jacksonville State used a starting lineup consisting of Tandy, Clark, Brigham Jr., 6-foot-10 forward Mason Nicholson and 6-foot-6 forward Travis Roberts against Utah Tech.
The Gamecocks have just two starters returning from last year's team that posted a 13-18 record and did not qualify for the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
West Virginia, meanwhile, is dealing with a severely limited roster that includes just nine players currently available for action. Eight played in last Friday night's loss to Monmouth, and with the exception of forward Jesse Edwards, all struggled to make shots.
Overall, West Virginia (1-1) shot 31.3% from the floor and just 21.9% from 3-point range. Edwards led the Mountaineers with 16 points and 13 rebounds – his second double-double of the season, while forward Quinn Slazinski contributed 15.
Monmouth opted to stay in a 2-3 zone and dared West Virginia to shoot jump shots for a good portion of the game. Defensively, WVU had great difficulty containing Monmouth's senior guard Xander Rice, who poured in a game-high 30 points, including 20 after intermission.
"Our execution offensively wasn't perfect by any means, but it seemed like we were getting pretty good shots, and they just weren't falling," West Virginia coach Josh Eilert said afterward. "You don't want to harp on it too much, but we struggled to get that thing over the rim once our legs got a little bit gassed, and that has a lot to do with shooting that basketball."
West Virginia is hoping to get more out its backcourt with games looming in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament early next week against SMU, Virginia or Wisconsin.
The Mountaineers will be without guard Kerr Kriisa for seven more games as he fulfills requirements for his NCAA-imposed suspension, while the status of guard RaeQuan Battle's NCAA waiver appeal and forward Akok Akok's health are still unclear.
Akok has not played since suffering a medical emergency in West Virginia's charity exhibition game against George Mason on Oct. 27.
"We're definitely struggling with a lack of depth trying to keep fresh legs out there," Eilert noted. "When you don't have fresh legs, it's definitely going to be a struggle."
Jacksonville State made one prior appearance at the Coliseum on Dec. 22, 2018, and West Virginia had to rally from a one-point deficit with five minutes to go to hold on for a 74-72 victory.
Gamecocks coach Ray Harper was on the sidelines for that contest.
Tuesday night's game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+ (Andrew Caridi, Warren Baker and Anjelica Trinone).
Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi and David Kahn gets underway at 6 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday mobile apps.
The Jacksonville State game is West Virginia's annual toy drive. Any fan who donates a toy will receive a free ticket to any upcoming WVU women's basketball home game this season.
Players Mentioned
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