Fordham @ West Virginia preview
WVU Coliseum
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins wanted his star Jevon Carter to improve his shooting and get to the free-throw line more often this season after the 6-2 guard decided to return for his senior season after going through the NBA pre-draft process last May. In the midst of an historical season, Carter will likely show visiting Fordham all of his skills when the 10th-ranked Mountaineers try for their first 11-game winning streak since 2009-10 when the teams meet on Saturday.
The main agitator of the Mountaineers' “Press Virginia,” Carter was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season, and the three-year starter contributed to the offensive end as well, averaging 13.5 points on 43.9 percent shooting and 3.4 free-throw attempts per game. This season, Carter has increased his scoring average by more than five points, and although the senior has upped his shooting percentage by just 10 points, he’s shooting 41.9 percent beyond the arc (up 30 points) and is getting to the line 44 percent more often while raising his free-throw percentage from 77.4 to 88.7 this season. More telling, Carter is on pace to be the first Division I player since Troy’s Bobby Dixon in 2005-06 to average 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game and the first major-conference player since California’s Jason Kidd in 1993-94. Fordham, coming off a 79-69 victory over Florida A&M on Thursday, has its own do-it-all player in junior guard Joseph Chartouny, who is the only player in the country averaging over 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals per game this season.
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ABOUT FORDHAM (5-6): The Rams have posted a combined 15 Atlantic 10 wins in the last two years under former Huggins assistant Jeff Neubauer (14 wins in the previous seven years before his arrival). Sophomore guard Tre Evans scored 20 points, Will Tavares 19 and Chartouny 15 to go along with six assists and five steals on Thursday. Tavares, a 6-6 senior who averaged 5.6 points last season, is providing a team-high 16.6 points as well as 5.5 rebounds in 2017-18 while Chartouny, who also tested the NBA waters last May, chips in 10.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals but is shooting just 32.7 percent from the floor and 21.3 beyond the arc.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (10-1): Carter’s backcourt mate Daxter Miles Jr. is also having a fine senior season, averaging 13.8 points, and the 6-3 guard became the school's 52nd 1,000-point scorer during Wednesday 77-38 victory over Coppin State. Sophomores Lamont West (11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds) and James Bolden (11 points per game) also average in double figures for a team that holds opponents to 38.9 percent shooting from the floor. The Mountaineers, who have won 63 of their last 67 games at home in December, lead the latest NCAA stats in turnover margin (plus-10.5), rank third in forced turnovers (21.3), sixth in steals (10.7) and fourth in offensive rebounds (15.2).
TIP-INS
1. West Virginia is 2-0 all-time against Fordham but the teams haven’t met since 1949.
2. Huggins (829-331 in his 36th season) trails Jim Phelan by one win for seventh place on the NCAA Division I all-times wins list.
3. Fordham F Prokop Slanina, a 6-10 junior from the Czech Republic, is averaging 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
PREDICTION: West Virginia 88, Fordham 59