Joe Yesufu's Scoring Punch Could Be Just What the Doctor Ordered for West Virginia

WVU may have found something on its bench.

Feb 2, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) shoots against Cincinnati Bearcats forward Tyler Betsey (14) in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The one thing that West Virginia has lacked for the better part of the last two months since Tucker DeVries went out is a consistent, reliable secondary scorer. Javon Small has been magnificent despite getting all of the attention from opposing teams, but he can't shoulder the load every game. He's going to need some help.

An unlikely source off the bench provided the spark in Sunday's win over Cincinnati as senior guard Joseph Yesufu poured in 16 points on a perfect 6/6 shooting night, including hitting all four of his three-point attempts.

"We’ve been struggling the last couple of games [shooting], so you go 9-18 (from three), that certainly helps as well. I thought Joe came in and gave us a huge spark off the bench," WVU head coach Darian DeVries said in his postgame press conference. "He gave us that other scorer that we haven’t had as consistent the last few games, but overall, I thought it was a great team effort."

Jan 21, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Joseph Yesufu (1) talks with West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Yesufu has had his two best offensive performances this season come on Sundays and on the road. Earlier this season, he scored 18 points in the win over Colorado. Expecting him to chip in 15+ on a nightly basis may be a bit of a reach, but if he can become more of a consistent scorer off the bench, it will allow DeVries to give Javon Small longer breaks on the bench and eliminates the worry of WVU's offense going rogue when he does take a seat for a few minutes.

“It was a huge shot," Yesufu said of his three at the buzzer before halftime. "I felt like it got us going. This game was a blessing for me in more ways than one. But yeah, it got us going, and I was just happy to provide a spark off the bench. My teammates gave me all the confidence I need to go out and play the way I play.”

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