West Virginia, Wake Forest look to make early statement

Off to a solid start, West Virginia has been looking for more consistency, particularly against the top nonconference opponents on its schedule.

Now that they're healthy, the Mountaineers (7-2) believe they're getting closer to reaching their full potential. Their next test comes Saturday in a battle against Wake Forest (6-3) in the Holiday Hoopfest in Charleston, W.Va., about 150 miles south of West Virginia's campus in Morgantown.

"The band is back together, but it's not like they're top of the charts (yet)," Mountaineers coach Ross Hodge said. "It's nice to have everybody and it's a great opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our team in a great environment against a great team and just thankful for that."

The most important addition to West Virginia's lineup is senior guard Chance Moore. In the four games since Moore returned, West Virginia is 2-2, including a close loss to Clemson on a neutral site.

Moore, however, is coming off his best game of the season, a 17-point performance in a 91-49 win over Coppin State. Moore averaged 13 points per game last season for St. Bonaventure.

With Moore back in the fold, the Mountaineers have moved to a nine- and 10-man rotation at times, creating a variety of looks with which they can attack opponents.

Wake Forest, on the other hand, is more comfortable in its identity after going through a tough part of its schedule. The Demon Deacons have played well, with one-point losses to ranked opponents Michigan and Texas Tech.

Their most disappointing loss, however, came on Tuesday, a 86-68 home defeat against Oklahoma in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Oklahoma outscored Wake Forest 49-33 in the second half.

"When they got the ball in the middle of the floor, against the ball screen, we weren't pulled in, and so then they were just at the rim," said Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes via a press release. "You have to be able to do both. You have to be pulled in, and then you have to get out to the shooter. I just felt like they ran their stuff and we didn't give them a lot of resistance, so it ballooned from there."

Juke Harris, who averages 19.9 points per game this season, leads the way offensively for Wake Forest. He's also first on the team in rebounding (7.1) and steals (1.8).

--Field Level Media