Monday, November 20
Fort Myers, Fla.
8:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
SMU
Mountaineers, Mustangs to Meet in Fort Myers Monday Night
November 19, 2023 01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia travels to Fort Myers, Florida, to face SMU Monday night in the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
The Mountaineers will remain in Fort Myers to play either Virginia or Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs (3-1) are coming off a 79-66 loss to 13th-ranked Texas A&M last Tuesday. SMU got a team-high 21 points from Butler transfer Chuck Harris and 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks from athletic guard Zhuric Phelps.
Those two are averaging 14.3 and 13.5 points per game, respectively.
Tyrek Smith, a 6-foot-9 senior, is contributing 10.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and he had seven points and four rebounds against the Aggies on Tuesday night.
"There is a lot of veteran talent on that team, and they've got good size, and they're very good athletes," West Virginia coach Josh Eilert said. "They've got some guys that can fill it up."
Coach Rob Lanier's son, Emory, chipped in with 10 points and has made 6 of his last 10 shots from behind the arc. Lanier, a St. Bonaventure graduate and cousin of NBA legend Bob Lanier, is in his second season at SMU after three years at Georgia State and four at Siena. SMU posted a 10-22 record last season under Lanier.
The Mustangs go at least 10 deep this year and play an up-tempo style that could give the depleted Mountaineers some issues.
"They're playing 10 guys, and the way they play … they kind of get up into you. They might turn the pressure up a little more against us knowing that we're shorthanded, but they are going to pick up full-court and wreak some havoc on you and wear you down," Eilert said. "That's certainly a concern of mine, their depth and the type of style that they play."
After falling 73-65 to Monmouth on Nov. 10, Eilert opted to slow things down and use more 2-3 zone to try and preserve his players' legs against Jacksonville State. West Virginia shot just 31.3% against Monmouth and did not have an answer for the Hawks' Xander Rice, who poured in a game-high 30, including 20 after intermission.
Four days later against Jacksonville State, Eilert's tweaks resulted in West Virginia shooting a season-high 51.1% and limiting the Gamecocks to just 57 points and 34.4% shooting.
Junior guard Kobe Johnson (19 points) and sophomore forward Josiah Harris (12) produced season highs for West Virginia. Center Jesse Edwards had his double-double streak snapped with 14 points and just six rebounds, but he continues to be one of West Virginia's most reliable players.
The Syracuse transfer shows averages of 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the floor.
Iona transfer Quinn Slazinski leads the Mountaineers with a 17.3 points-per-game average. He's also connecting on half of his 16 tries from 3-point range.
Johnson has boosted his season scoring average to 13.3 points as West Virginia's other double-digit scorer.
Monday night's game will be West Virginia's first-ever meeting against SMU on the hardwood.
An 8:30 p.m. tipoff is scheduled with FS1 (Jeff Levering and LaPhonso Ellis) televising the game nationally. Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi begins at 7:30 p.m on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
The Mountaineers will remain in Fort Myers to play either Virginia or Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs (3-1) are coming off a 79-66 loss to 13th-ranked Texas A&M last Tuesday. SMU got a team-high 21 points from Butler transfer Chuck Harris and 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks from athletic guard Zhuric Phelps.
Those two are averaging 14.3 and 13.5 points per game, respectively.
Tyrek Smith, a 6-foot-9 senior, is contributing 10.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and he had seven points and four rebounds against the Aggies on Tuesday night.
"There is a lot of veteran talent on that team, and they've got good size, and they're very good athletes," West Virginia coach Josh Eilert said. "They've got some guys that can fill it up."
Coach Rob Lanier's son, Emory, chipped in with 10 points and has made 6 of his last 10 shots from behind the arc. Lanier, a St. Bonaventure graduate and cousin of NBA legend Bob Lanier, is in his second season at SMU after three years at Georgia State and four at Siena. SMU posted a 10-22 record last season under Lanier.
The Mustangs go at least 10 deep this year and play an up-tempo style that could give the depleted Mountaineers some issues.
"They're playing 10 guys, and the way they play … they kind of get up into you. They might turn the pressure up a little more against us knowing that we're shorthanded, but they are going to pick up full-court and wreak some havoc on you and wear you down," Eilert said. "That's certainly a concern of mine, their depth and the type of style that they play."
After falling 73-65 to Monmouth on Nov. 10, Eilert opted to slow things down and use more 2-3 zone to try and preserve his players' legs against Jacksonville State. West Virginia shot just 31.3% against Monmouth and did not have an answer for the Hawks' Xander Rice, who poured in a game-high 30, including 20 after intermission.
Four days later against Jacksonville State, Eilert's tweaks resulted in West Virginia shooting a season-high 51.1% and limiting the Gamecocks to just 57 points and 34.4% shooting.
Junior guard Kobe Johnson (19 points) and sophomore forward Josiah Harris (12) produced season highs for West Virginia. Center Jesse Edwards had his double-double streak snapped with 14 points and just six rebounds, but he continues to be one of West Virginia's most reliable players.
The Syracuse transfer shows averages of 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the floor.
Iona transfer Quinn Slazinski leads the Mountaineers with a 17.3 points-per-game average. He's also connecting on half of his 16 tries from 3-point range.
Johnson has boosted his season scoring average to 13.3 points as West Virginia's other double-digit scorer.
Monday night's game will be West Virginia's first-ever meeting against SMU on the hardwood.
An 8:30 p.m. tipoff is scheduled with FS1 (Jeff Levering and LaPhonso Ellis) televising the game nationally. Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi begins at 7:30 p.m on stations throughout West Virginia and online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
Players Mentioned
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