Friday, January 2
Ames, Iowa
9 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Iowa State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Tip Off Big 12 Play at No. 3 Iowa State on Friday Night
December 31, 2025 04:38 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia rings in the New Year in Ames, Iowa, on Friday night when the Mountaineers face undefeated and third-ranked Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones recently bumped their record to 13-0 with an easy 89-61 victory over Houston Christian on Monday night.
Senior forward Joshua Jefferson's 23 points paced Iowa State, while Blake Buchanan pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds.
Jefferson, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound Saint Mary's transfer, has been a revelation this year for the Cyclones. He's averaging a team-best 18.1 points per game while shooting 55.3% from the floor and pulling down an average of 7.1 boards per game.
"Jefferson is playing at an elite level," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. "As good as he was last year, he's probably got to be one of the most improved players in the country shooting the ball. He also draws fouls and kind of makes plays for others."
Jefferson is getting plenty of scoring help from 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior forward Milan Momcilovic, who is scoring at a 17.9-points-per-game clip while shooting 55.1% from the floor, including a ridiculous 53.8% on his 93 3-point attempts so far this season.
Those two combined to score 31 points in Iowa State's 23-point win at then-No. 1-ranked Purdue back on Dec. 6.
Blake Buchanan added 12 points and nine boards in the Purdue victory and shows averages of 9.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The junior stands 6-feet-10 inches and weighs 235 pounds, teaming with Jefferson and Momcilovic to give Iowa State one of the biggest and most productive front courts in college basketball this year.
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is averaging 14.2 points per game while shooting 48.7% from the floor, while backcourt mate Killyan Toure is giving the Cyclones an average of 11 points per game as freshman.
"Momcilovic is one of the best shooters in the country and Lipsey is experience at the point and they play really well together," Hodge said. "They play with good pace and their good."
Coach T.J. Otzelberger's Cyclones are turning teams over an average of 17.9 per game while holding their opponents to just 62.8 points per game, 10th in the country this week.
"A lot what they do starts with their defense," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said via Zoom on Wednesday. "They are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They do an elite job of turning your turnovers into points.
"They lead the country in turnover percentage; they are turning people over about 25% of the time so one out of every four offensive possessions they are turning you over," he added.
Scoring defense has Hodge's calling card during his first season at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers, which last played on Monday, Dec. 22, ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense this week surrendering only 60.2 points per game. West Virginia limited Mississippi Valley State to just 51 points in its most recent victory, boosting its record to 9-4.
Seven different players have led the team in scoring so far this season and five different players have topped 20 points in a game.
Senior guard Honor Huff has been the most consistent scorer averaging a team-best 17.5 points per game, including 53 3s, which is second in the country to Belmont's Tyler Lundblade with 54.
Huff was the national leader with 131 made 3-point field goals last year at Chattanooga.
Chance Moore, under the weather and did see action against Mississippi Valley State, tallied 16 points in his season debut against Clemson and is averaging 12.3 points per game coming off the bench.
Brenen Lorient, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, is contributing 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
West Virginia is 7-6 all-time in Big 12 openers and Friday's game will be the 11th time in 14 years the Mountaineers open league play on the road. Last season, WVU tipped off conference action in style by upsetting No. 7 Kansas in Lawrence.
West Virginia and Iowa State have met 25 times, with the Mountaineers owning a 15-10 edge in series play. Five of those victories have come in Hilton Coliseum, including winning three of its last five games there.
The game will tip off at 9 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Eric Rothman and King McClure).
Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn begins at 8 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
WVU will be back in Morgantown for a pair of conference games against Cincinnati on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and against Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 10. Both of those games will also be nationally televised – Cincinnati on ESPN2 and Kansas on FOX.
The Cyclones recently bumped their record to 13-0 with an easy 89-61 victory over Houston Christian on Monday night.
Senior forward Joshua Jefferson's 23 points paced Iowa State, while Blake Buchanan pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds.
Jefferson, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound Saint Mary's transfer, has been a revelation this year for the Cyclones. He's averaging a team-best 18.1 points per game while shooting 55.3% from the floor and pulling down an average of 7.1 boards per game.
"Jefferson is playing at an elite level," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. "As good as he was last year, he's probably got to be one of the most improved players in the country shooting the ball. He also draws fouls and kind of makes plays for others."
Jefferson is getting plenty of scoring help from 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior forward Milan Momcilovic, who is scoring at a 17.9-points-per-game clip while shooting 55.1% from the floor, including a ridiculous 53.8% on his 93 3-point attempts so far this season.
Those two combined to score 31 points in Iowa State's 23-point win at then-No. 1-ranked Purdue back on Dec. 6.
Blake Buchanan added 12 points and nine boards in the Purdue victory and shows averages of 9.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The junior stands 6-feet-10 inches and weighs 235 pounds, teaming with Jefferson and Momcilovic to give Iowa State one of the biggest and most productive front courts in college basketball this year.
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is averaging 14.2 points per game while shooting 48.7% from the floor, while backcourt mate Killyan Toure is giving the Cyclones an average of 11 points per game as freshman.
"Momcilovic is one of the best shooters in the country and Lipsey is experience at the point and they play really well together," Hodge said. "They play with good pace and their good."
Coach T.J. Otzelberger's Cyclones are turning teams over an average of 17.9 per game while holding their opponents to just 62.8 points per game, 10th in the country this week.
"A lot what they do starts with their defense," West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said via Zoom on Wednesday. "They are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They do an elite job of turning your turnovers into points.
"They lead the country in turnover percentage; they are turning people over about 25% of the time so one out of every four offensive possessions they are turning you over," he added.
Scoring defense has Hodge's calling card during his first season at West Virginia.
The Mountaineers, which last played on Monday, Dec. 22, ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense this week surrendering only 60.2 points per game. West Virginia limited Mississippi Valley State to just 51 points in its most recent victory, boosting its record to 9-4.
Seven different players have led the team in scoring so far this season and five different players have topped 20 points in a game.
Senior guard Honor Huff has been the most consistent scorer averaging a team-best 17.5 points per game, including 53 3s, which is second in the country to Belmont's Tyler Lundblade with 54.
Huff was the national leader with 131 made 3-point field goals last year at Chattanooga.
Chance Moore, under the weather and did see action against Mississippi Valley State, tallied 16 points in his season debut against Clemson and is averaging 12.3 points per game coming off the bench.
Brenen Lorient, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, is contributing 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
West Virginia is 7-6 all-time in Big 12 openers and Friday's game will be the 11th time in 14 years the Mountaineers open league play on the road. Last season, WVU tipped off conference action in style by upsetting No. 7 Kansas in Lawrence.
West Virginia and Iowa State have met 25 times, with the Mountaineers owning a 15-10 edge in series play. Five of those victories have come in Hilton Coliseum, including winning three of its last five games there.
The game will tip off at 9 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN (Eric Rothman and King McClure).
Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage with Tony Caridi, Brad Howe and David Kahn begins at 8 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia, online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
WVU will be back in Morgantown for a pair of conference games against Cincinnati on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and against Kansas on Saturday, Jan. 10. Both of those games will also be nationally televised – Cincinnati on ESPN2 and Kansas on FOX.
Players Mentioned
Ross Hodge | Iowa State Preview
Wednesday, December 31
TV Highlights: WVU 86, MVSU 51
Monday, December 22
Ross Hodge | Mississippi Valley State Postgame
Monday, December 22
Treysen Eaglestaff, Harlan Obioha & Amir Jenkins | Mississippi Valley State Postgame
Monday, December 22
