Elite defense, efficient offense of Iowa State a focus for Ross Hodge
When trying to solve the Iowa State puzzle, West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge believes it starts with their effectiveness on the defensive end of the floor.
The Cyclones are one of the best defensive teams in the country leading the country in turnover percentage at around 25-percent which means they force one out of every four possessions. But it’s not just forcing those mistakes, it’s turning them into offense on the other end of the floor.
“They do an elite job of turning your turnovers into points,” Hodge said.
Iowa State is going to sit down and guard which at times makes it appear that they’re operating at a slower pace but that can be deceiving.
“They’re opportunistic, they play with pace, they turn you over. They get the ball out and they have good, efficient players that are capable of making shots,” Hodge said.
The Cyclones feature forward Joshua Jefferson who leads the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game while grabbing 7.1 rebounds per contest and shooting 55-percent from the floor and 42-percent from three. A point forward, Jefferson has developed into one of the most improved players in the nation.
“Jefferson has really turned himself into a first-team all-American type of player in that point forward role and can handle the ball and pass the ball and draws fouls,” Hodge said.
Around Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic is one of the best three-point shooters in the country at nearly 54-percent while scoring 17.9 points per game and point guard Tamin Lipsey is an experienced point guard that understands how to run the Cyclones attack with an assist to turnover ratio of 6.0 to 0.7.
Outside of those options, Blake Buchanan is a dependable option at forward and freshman Killyan Toure impacts winning significantly with his ability to defend the ball. There is depth on the bench as well.
“They play really well together and play with good pace,” Hodge said. “They’re good.”
The Cyclones are 13-0 on the season and one of the top teams in the country giving the Mountaineers a massive challenge to open the start of Big 12 Conference play. Hodge is well aware of that and understands that his team is going to need to string together good stretches of basketball to give themselves a chance in an environment like Hilton Coliseum.
“There’s 10 four-minute games and you’ve got to try to play each one of those four-minute games and try to win each little four-minute segment of that game to keep the game in-tact and give yourself a chance,” Hodge said.
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