Initial Thoughts on West Virginia's Massive Upset of No. 3 Gonzaga

Breaking down West Virginia's win over Gonzaga.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The West Virginia Mountaineers made a statement Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis by knocking off the third-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in overtime, 86-78.

Here are some of my initial takeaways from this one.

Javon Small is what you would call a "dawg"

Small needed to show up and piece together a big afternoon for West Virginia to even have a chance in this game, and boy, did he ever. Time and time again, Small came up with big bucket after big bucket and also helped get his teammates involved in the action as well.

Defensively, he made things pretty difficult for Gonzaga's guards, flying around at 100 miles per hour and staying up in their grill. The toughness and grit he plays with are something that didn't exist on this team a year ago.

Tucker DeVries is the best player on this roster, but Small is the X-factor.

Amani Hansberry breakout game

The Mountaineer big man had shown some flashes of his potential through the first four games of the season, but what No. 13 put on display today is exactly what West Virginia hoped they would get when they landed him in the transfer portal this offseason.

His ability to step out and knock down shots from the perimeter is something WVU hasn't had in a long, long time. His presence out there helps stretch the floor and open things up for guys like Javon Small and Tucker DeVries to do their thing. He's going to be a big building block for DeVries moving forward.

Hansberry finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

DeVries will do just fine in Morgantown (duh)

Playing the third-ranked team in the country in your fifth game at a new school, and a level up for that matter, is no easy chore. DeVries had his team locked in and ready to go from the jump. No one believed they would even be competitive in this game, myself included. Just playing competitive basketball would have been a massive win for this group, but to actually get the victory shows a lot.

I don't want to overreact too much, but if DeVries can get this squad to play like this on a night-in, night-out basis, they'll more than be in the mix for the NCAA Tournament. They could be a team that can make some noise once they get there.

Regardless, this is a great first step in the DeVries era. Getting a signature win this early in the tenure is impressive.

West Virginia will be back in action tomorrow, taking on Louisville in the winner's bracket. Tip is set for 12 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN2.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

WVU Flips Toledo CB Commit Tyrell Russell

Big 12 Score Predictions for the Final Week of the Regular Season

Can West Virginia Finish Strong? ESPN FPI Reveals Chances to Beat Texas Tech

Spread & Over/Under Predictions for WVU vs. Texas Tech