MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia looks to bounce back Monday night when it hosts Little Rock at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers enter at 7-3 and remain undefeated at home, while the Trojans come into Morgantown at 2-7 and still searching for consistency on both ends of the floor.
WVU has built its early success around defense and rebounding. The Mountaineers are holding opponents to 58.4 points per game and 39.7 percent shooting, while winning the glass by nearly five rebounds a night. That combination has allowed them to control tempo even on nights when the offense hasn’t clicked.
Honor Huff continues to lead the way, averaging 16.6 points while shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range. When he’s in rhythm, he stretches the floor and forces teams out of their comfort zone. Around him, West Virginia leans on a balanced frontcourt.
Brenen Lorient is shooting 48.8 percent and grabbing nearly six rebounds per game, while Harlan Obioha and Treysen Eaglestaff have provided steady work inside. Jasper Floyd has also been key as a distributor with 38 assists, along with strong perimeter defense at 2.5 steals per game.
Little Rock enters with one of the higher-volume scoring guards WVU has seen recently. Jonathan Lawson leads the Trojans at 14.4 points per game while averaging more than 33 minutes, and Cameron Wallace adds 10.8 per game with strong efficiency inside the arc. As a team, however, the Trojans have struggled defensively, allowing 78.8 points per game and nearly 50 percent shooting. Their 16.4 turnovers per game have also created issues in late-game situations.
For WVU, the matchup is another chance to establish its identity before the schedule tightens as Big 12 play approaches. The Mountaineers are averaging 72.6 points per game, but their real strength is limiting mistakes. They turn it over just 10.3 times per game and own a positive turnover margin of nearly four. Against a Little Rock team that forces steals but gives the ball away even more, that discipline could be the difference.
If West Virginia controls the boards, guards the arc and pushes the Trojans into rushed possessions, it should be in a strong position to protect its perfect home record. However, with Lawson capable of catching fire and the Trojans playing with nothing to lose, WVU will want a sharp start to prevent Little Rock from finding early momentum.
U92 The Moose will provide live coverage, with Matt Foley on play-by-play and sports producer Nico Caretto as color analyst. Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Brett Berner, Ben Stautzenbach, Kameron Tomasetti and Conor Bratchford.
They will also return at halftime and after the final buzzer to break down all the action.
The broadcast can be heard locally on 91.7 FM, online at u92themoose.com, on Alexa-enabled devices and via the TuneIn app.