West Virginia at Iowa State men’s basketball: Five players to watch

It was the most embarrassing night of the season when Iowa State got beat 102-77 against West Virginia. With the nature of a round-robin conference season, the Cyclones will try to even the season series against them.

Jan 28, 2014; Waco, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard

Juwan Staten

(3) passes around Baylor Bears forward

(35) during the first half at The Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In order to do that, a couple of ISU players that didn’t show up in Morgantown will have to take care of business in Ames. Plus they’ll have to contain these three (or possibly just two) that were making all of WVU’s shots.

#3 Juwan Staten (WVU junior guard, 6-foot-1, 190 lbs.)

Staten’s become a star in Big 12 play, averaging 19.6 points and 5.8 rebounds and assists since the conference season began. More recently, he’s averaged over 20 points and nearly has a +5 assist/turnover margin. Staten nearly hit a triple-double in the blowout over Iowa State over two weeks ago, finishing with 19 points and team highs of nine assists and seven rebounds. Yes, the 6-1 guard led West Virginia on the boards.

#50 DeAndre Kane (ISU senior guard, 6-foot-4, 200 lbs.)

Maybe it was the pressure of returning close to home, but Kane was dismal in the first outing against the Mountaineers. He missed nine shots, all three 3-point attempts, went 2-of-6 from the free throw line, and had just two assists while turning the ball over five times. We’ll see how much he’ll improve in the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum.

#15 Terry Henderson (WVU sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, 200 lbs.)

Henderson is averaging 11.5 points and 2.8 in the last month, and he was one of the red-hot players on West Virginia from downtown against Iowa State hitting 4-of-7 from 3-point range. However, Henderson been on the court since the second half against Texas. That’s played a huge role in the Mountaineers’ depth and one of the reasons they couldn’t overcome deficits in their previous losses. If he’s not available for this game, that could spell more trouble especially on the road.

Feb 22, 2014; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard DeAndre Kane (50) dribbles the ball against TCU Horned Frogs center Karviar Shepherd (1) during the first half of a mens basketball game at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Melvin Ejim (ISU senior forward, 6-foot-6, 220 lbs.)

After hitting 20-of-24 field goals against TCU, Ejim followed it up with a disastrous 1-of-9 showing against the Mountaineers. It was a highly uncharacteristic night for the senior forward that averages 52.6 percent from the field and leads the Big 12 in scoring with 18.9 points per game.

#0 Remi Dibo (WVU junior forward, 6-foot-7, 225 lbs.)

What a game number zero had for the Mountaineers when they took down Iowa State. He led the way with a team-high 20 points, hitting 6-of-8 3-pointers. That’s right, a forward hit six 3-pointers.