Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big 12 Basketball: 2018-19 storylines for West Virginia at Iowa State

By Jason Burgess

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 16: Iowa State Cyclones celebrate their play on the court during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 16, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 68-64. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 16: Iowa State Cyclones celebrate their play on the court during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 16, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 68-64. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
MORGANTOWN, WV – FEBRUARY 12: The West Virginia Mountaineers student section against the TCU Horned Frogs at the WVU Coliseum on February 12, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – FEBRUARY 12: The West Virginia Mountaineers student section against the TCU Horned Frogs at the WVU Coliseum on February 12, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

On Wednesday night Iowa State will look to keep pace in the Big 12 when they host the West Virginia Mountaineers at Hilton Coliseum. Here are some things to watch for in this contest.

The Big 12 is more wide open this season than it has been in the last 15 years, thanks in part to the uncertainty surrounding Kansas after the loss of Udoka Azubuike. This has opened the door to a multitude of contenders to the throne, including Iowa State. Steve Prohm’s Cyclones haven’t won a Big 12 regular-season title since 2001 and are currently 15-5 and 4-3 in the conference.

Their opponents on Wednesday night, the West Virginia Mountaineers (9-11, 1-6) are one of the more disappointing teams in college basketball this season. Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers were picked to finish third in the conference’s preseason poll but are currently mired in last place in the conference. The Mountaineers began the season on the wrong foot, being upset by Buffalo in their season opener and have never really gotten things going in the right direction. In Big 12 play, they suffered five straight losses before upsetting Kansas 65-64 on Jan. 19.

For the Cyclones, if they want to contend for a conference title, this is the type of game they can’t take for granted and get tripped up. They have five losses, but four of them have come by a total of 13 points, they also have a road win over No. 8 Texas Tech and have already split their season series with Kansas, with both teams holding serve at home.

This game at Hilton Coliseum is important for the home team not to take their opponent for granted, because while West Virginia may be down, as they have shown, they can still take down a top team. Here are a few things to watch for in this Big 12 clash.

Home/Iowa State Cyclones