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MORGANTOWN -- Finals week has come and gone and now it's time for fans to return to the Coliseum to cheer on the No. 10 ranked West Virginia men's basketball team (9-1) as it takes on a winless Coppin State (0-11) team at 7 tonight.
"We had a big gap in the schedule," WVU coach Bob Huggins said. "And, it gets monotonous playing against the same guy every day. We just needed to play. We felt it was needed at this time."
The Eagles of head coach Juan Dixon are coming off an 81-74 loss at UMBC on Dec. 12.
This will be the third meeting between the two schools. WVU took the last meeting by a 69-43 margin on Dec. 12, 2009. The series began with a 71-47 win by the Mountaineers on Dec. 11, 2004. Both games were played in Morgantown.
Senior guard Karonn Davis leads a balanced scoring attack -- that features no double-digit performers -- with a 9.8 points per game norm. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder will be joined in the starting lineup by juniors Adam Traore (7.6 ppg), and Cedric Council (3.9) at the forwards while freshman Keandre Fair (4.7) and junior Lamar Morgan (8.2) will line up with Davis at guard.
WVU will counter with its normal lineup of seniors Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. at the guards with sophomores Lamont West, Wesley Harris and Sagaba Konate at the forwards.
West Virginia enters tonight's tipoff fresh off a 98-50 exhibition victory over Wheeling Jesuit.
Carter leads the team in scoring (19.4 ppg), assists (60), steals (38), free throw shooting (89.8 percent) and minutes played (33.6 pg).
Miles leads three other players in double digits with a 14.6-points per game norm while West is averaging 11.9 points and top reserve James 'Beetle' Bolden chips in 10.9.
Konate (8.3 ppg) leads the team in rebounding with a 6.3 average while Harris (7.1) and Carter chips in 5.4 boards per game.
Joining Bolden as the Mountaineers' primary reserves will be freshman Teddy Allen (6.3), sophomore Chase Harler (3.4) and junior college transfer D'Angelo Hunter (2.0). Fans can also expect to see Cameron's Logan Routt (1.8) and junior Maciej Bender (1.3) in the game.
"I think we got a lot done this week," Huggins said. "We have been able to work on our press every day, but I still think we can get better.
"The thing we are dealing with right now is that seven of the 11 guys we are playing are sophomores so we're pretty young. What we learned at Pitt is that there is a tremendous drop off when Jevon and Dax aren't on the floor. Not so much in talent and experience, but leadership."
That should change when junior forward Esa Ahmad returns.
"I was just in a meeting to figure it (when Ahmad can return) is. We are just waiting on the word."