WISE, Va. – The UVa-Wise men's basketball team begins its first road trip of 2017 Saturday when the Cavaliers take on fourth-ranked West Liberty University at 4 p.m. in West Liberty, West Virginia.
 
Storylines – at No. 4 West Liberty University
The Cavs face a tough task Saturday afternoon at West Liberty with the Hilltoppers ranked No. 4 in the nation according the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll. Riding a six-game winning streak, West Liberty enters Saturday's matchup with a 13-1 overall record and a 7-1 league mark. The lone loss for the Hilltoppers this season came at Mountain East Conference-leader and then 11th-ranked Fairmont State University (86-81) back on Dec. 4.
 
For the third time this season UVa-Wise will take on an opponent ranked nationally, the Cavs fell to then 12th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University (105-62) in Wise on Nov. 26 and were defeated at home by then No. 2 Fairmont State on Jan. 3 (103-79). The Cavs are seeking their first win against a ranked opponent since upsetting then 14th-ranked King University (100-87) in the David J. Prior Convocation Center last season on Dec. 20, 2015.
 
West Liberty enters the game with an unblemished 9-0 home record this season as the Hilltoppers have not suffered a home loss since March 17, 2015, when they were defeated 77-74 in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship game by Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In fact, West Liberty owns an impressive 59-3 record inside the Hilltoppers' Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC) since the 2013-14 season.
 
Led by head coach Jim Crutchfield in his 13th season, West Liberty was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the MEC after a vote by the league's head coaches. The Hilltoppers have claimed seven-straight conference titles and made their fifth NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in the last six years in 2016. Last season, West Liberty advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament semifinals before coming within one point of the national title game, being edged 103-102 by top-ranked Lincoln Memorial.
 
Junior guard Dan Monteroso leads four different Hilltoppers averaging double-figure scoring this season with 19.1 points per game, while senior forward Zac Grossenbacher leads the team in rebounding at 9.6 boards per contest. Sophomore guard David Dennis' 6.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game are both league-bests.
 
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise will be attempting to snap a two-game skid after the Cavs picked up their first MEC victory Thursday, Jan. 5, in the Prior Center against Shepherd University (78-69). Most recently, UVa-Wise wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 98-89 loss to Notre Dame College. Despite scoring a program-record 67 points in the second half and outscoring the Falcons by 14 in the half, the Cavs were unable to overcome a 45-22 halftime deficit.
 
Freshman point guard Michal Seals (Lancaster, Pa.) had a career night against Notre Dame College and almost recorded a triple-double with his career-high 24 points and nine rebounds, to go along with eight assists and a career-high tying four steals. The court commander collected all of his 24 points in the final 14 minutes of the game and went 17-of-18 at the foul line. Both junior guard Ricardo Hill Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) and freshman guard Tajh Eason (Newport News, Va.) tallied career highs in points as well, scoring all of their points in the last 16 and a half minutes. Hill Jr. tallied 14 points and went 4-of-7 from distance as Eason added seven off the bench.
 
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