Ross Hodge Looks Ahead to No. 3 Iowa State

The West Virginia University Mountaineers (9-4) begin Big 12 Conference play on the road at the third-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (13-0) Friday night. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. EST and the action will be televised on ESPN2.

WVU head coach Ross Hodge sat down on Wednesday and provided some insight on the matchup with the No. 3 Cyclones.

Iowa State’s success during the nonconference slate

A lot of it starts with their defense, and obviously they’re 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, turning people over about 25% of the time. So, one out of four offensive possessions, they are turning people over.

Jefferson’s playing at an elite level – 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, draws fouls, can make plays for others.

(Junior forward Milan) Momcilovic is one of the best shooters in the country and (senior guard Tamin) Lipsey’s experience at the point and they play really well together and play with good pace. They’re good.

The Cyclones' offensive efficiency

They’re very efficient. Momcilovic is one of the best three-point shooters in the country. Jefferson is a much-improved three-point shooter and Lipsey doesn’t turn the basketball over – one of the best turnover/assist guys in the country. (Junior forward Blake) Buchanon is very solidified in his role. (Guard Killyan) Toure the freshman, he probably impacts winning – he doesn’t have maybe the stats that jump out at you as some of those other guys, but his impact on winning because of his ability to defend the ball is elite, and he maybe as impactful as any freshman in the country.

They convert defense to offense at an elite level, and then when not, they are very efficient. They have different ways they can play through. Jefferson has really turned himself into a first team All-American type of player up into this point. He’s kind of in that point-forward role, he can handle the ball, he can pass the ball, he can shoot the ball, and he draws fouls.

So, they’re extremely efficient. They do play a little faster than you think. Like most really good defensive team, they’re going to guard you at long stretches of times if they don’t turn you over, and so that can make it look like the game’s a little slower than it is, but they’re opportunistic. They play with pace, they turn you over, they get the ball out and then, they got good efficient players that are making shots.

Iowa State’s success during the nonconference slate

The Cyclones' offensive efficiency

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