West Virginia Aims to Break the Allen Fieldhouse Curse

Statistics Overview
Points per Contest	79.2	77.5
Scoring Differential	+13.2	+13.6
Shooting Percentage	.498	.442
Opponent Field Goal Percentage	.386	.373
3-Point Shooting Percentage	.355	.354
Opponent 3-Point Shooting Percentage	.303	.287
Free Throw Shooting Percentage	.716	.778
Rebounds per Game	38.2	37.2
Assists per Game	18.8	14.5
Turnovers per Game	10.5	11.7
Steals per Game	7.2	8.2
Blocks per Game	4.9	6.0
Winning Streak	W2	W5

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Coach Darian DeVries‘ squad is set to attempt a feat Tuesday afternoon that no West Virginia men’s basketball team has accomplished to date – securing a victory at Allen Fieldhouse.
 
The Mountaineers have faced off against the Jayhawks eleven times in The Phog, with West Virginia leaving empty-handed each time.
 
Some matches resulted in significant losses, such as the 26-point beatdown in 2013 and another identical defeat two years ago, while others were closely contested and could have swung in the Mountaineers’ favor with a few more critical plays or advantageous breaks.
 
On March 3, 2015, “Press Virginia” had the Jayhawks reeling, leading 40-22 with just over a minute left in the first half, and holding a 14-point lead at halftime, yet Kansas stifled West Virginia to a mere 19 points in the second half, forcing a tie with just 11.5 seconds left in the game.
 
Jevon Carter’s 3-pointer was off target, and a putback attempt by Nathan Adrian was blocked by Landon Lucas on the final possession of regulation, as KU outpaced the Mountaineers 17-10 in overtime to claim a 76-69 victory.
 
In 2017, on February 17, West Virginia found itself ahead of third-ranked Kansas by 14 points with under three minutes left before the game took a turn. Kansas scored an astonishing 34 points in a stretch of eight minutes, capped by the last three minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime, clinching a 84-80 win.
 
This victory for Kansas included two free throws by Frank Mason III with 21.6 seconds to go, marking two of the 16 he made that game. The Jayhawks managed to convert 33 of their 44 free throw attempts, offsetting a poor shooting performance of 21 out of 61 from the field.
 
Interestingly, that match saw Kansas set a Guinness World Record for the loudest noise ever recorded in an indoor sporting venue.
 
Concerning free throws, in the subsequent year, Kansas shot 35 free throws, while West Virginia attempted only two, in a 77-69 loss in Lawrence.
 
At halftime, the teams were tied at 34-34, and WVU was ahead 66-58 with 3:47 remaining. However, a pivotal moment occurred with 28 seconds left when Daxter Miles Jr. opted against a 3-point attempt that could have given the Mountaineers the lead, turning the ball over instead and leading to sealing free throws by the Jayhawks.
 
By that point, WVU coach Bob Huggins had seen enough and was expelled from the game.
 
In West Virginia’s latest outing at Allen Fieldhouse on February 25, 2023, a 76-74 defeat to the Jayhawks wasn’t influenced primarily by free throws.
 
West Virginia managed to fight back from a seven-point deficit, narrowing the gap to 75-74 with 33 seconds remaining thanks to Emmitt Matthews Jr.’s steal and subsequent dunk.
 
However, ten seconds later, Jalen Wilson missed one of his two free throws, presenting an opportunity for West Virginia to either tie the score or take the lead with a three-pointer. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers failed to achieve a clean shot at the basket, resulting in Joe Toussaint’s turnover with a mere second to go. With KU inbounding the ball, the game concluded.
 
Thus, four out of eleven games ended in a nearly decisive manner.
 
The Mountaineers also suffered a seven-point defeat in 2020 and a ten-point loss in 2016, indicating that many games there have been highly competitive.
 
Will the Mountaineers finally break free from their Allen Fieldhouse struggles this Tuesday afternoon?
 
Does DeVries, as he embarks on his first Big 12 game in Lawrence, believe in any mystique associated with Allen Fieldhouse?
 
“No, not in the slightest,” he chuckled. “It’s a challenging venue to compete in. I don’t think West Virginia stands alone in facing difficulties in winning at Allen Fieldhouse. They have a strong record there, possess great home-court advantage, and are well-coached with talented players. These factors play a far greater role than anything else.”
 
With seventh-ranked Kansas now at 9-2 following their recent commanding victory against Brown, it’s just a matter of swapping names each year.
 
Instead of Udoka Azubuike, we now see 7-foot-2 center Hunter Dickinson.
 
Instead of Frank Mason III, we have Dajuan Harris.
 
And instead of Devonte’ Graham, it’s now Zeke Mayo.
 
DeVries is primarily focused on devising a strategy to neutralize their attack rather than getting caught up in any fantastical elements happening within the arena.
 
“Usually, when developing a game plan, you can’t eliminate every threat,” he elaborated. “Often, in attempting to do so, you end up achieving nothing at all, so you must be prepared to accept certain risks, whatever those may be.”
 
Meanwhile, the health status of DeVries’ team remains uncertain.
 
Tucker DeVries has missed his third consecutive game against Mercyhurst due to an undisclosed injury affecting his upper body.
 
Forward Amani Hansberry exited the court 18seconds into West Virginia’s triumph over Mercyhurst with an injured ankle and did not make a return, while senior guard Jayden Stone has been absent from all 11 games due to an upper body injury he incurred during preseason drills.
 
DeVries mentioned that the situation of all three remains unchanged from when they departed for the holiday break a week ago.
 
When West Virginia (9-2) has been nearly at full capacity, it has performed sufficiently to secure a position in ESPN’s latest bracketology, yet it’s not something DeVries is celebrating with his squad.
 
“There are simply too many matches remaining, and conference action is approaching, but the one topic we did discuss with our players was that the season is divided into various segments, and nonconference play is one of those,” he remarked. “For our guys to be in this position, to have a few quality victories to be where you need to be in the NET, those are significant. However, none of that carries weight if you don’t compete in conference play, and you must keep accumulating quality wins.”
 
In WVU’s recent three home victories against North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman, and Mercyhurst, freshman guard Jonathan Powell emerged from the bench to spearhead the team’s scoring versus North Carolina Central, while Javon Small was the leading scorer against Bethune-Cookman and Mercyhurst.
 
Small tops the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game, and has surpassed 20 or more points in five of his last eight games. He recorded eight points against Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse last year while playing for Oklahoma State.
 
The sole other Mountaineer player with familiarity in that venue is guard Joseph Yesufu, who actually spent two seasons at Kansas before transferring to Washington State last year.
 
That’s all.
 
Consequently, what transpires there on Tuesday will be unfamiliar to nearly everyone on the team, including its coach.
 
What is not novel is facing a challenging rival on the road in an unfriendly atmosphere. West Virginia has already experienced that once this season at Pitt, and the outcomes were less than favorable.
 
The Mountaineers are optimistic that Tuesday’s result will be different. If so, they will have achieved something no other team in school history has ever done.
 
The game is set to start at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (Mark Neely and Kevin Lehman). Mountaineer Sports Network radio coverage featuring Tony Caridi, Brad Howe, and David Kahn will commence at 1 p.m. on stations across West Virginia, as well as online via WVUsports.com and the Varsity Network and WVU Gameday apps.
 
In total, Kansas leads the series 21-7 and has triumphed in 11 of the last 13 encounters.
 
Last season, West Virginia shocked third-ranked Kansas 91-85 in Morgantown.