Javon Small is WVU’s only hope for scoring, after Tucker DeVries sustained an upper body injury this season. Courtesy photo

MORGANTOWN — In the ashes of the red-faced loss to Kansas State was found just one meaningful question: Will Tucker DeVries play again for the Mountaineers this season?

After a tarnished loss to Arizona State in the Coliseum, The Moutaineers were shredded by a very ordinary Kansas State team. Trailing, 19-2, to open the conference game, West Virginia then found itself floundering at the halftime break, behind 42-18 and still unable to compete with a team that had lost six straight games.

DeVries has been missing with what has been described as “an upper body injury.”

He could (and probably will) take a medical redshirt and miss the remainder of the season.

If Devries doesn’t make a return, what can WVU do to overcome its severe lack of scoring from anyone other than Javon Small?

Small scored 22 points against the sagging Wildcats, but had to bruise his way through a defense that knew where he was and what he could accomplish at every turn.

The Mountaineers were able to find some competitive juice in the second half, but outscoring the Wildcats, 42-31, in that portion of the game couldn’t overcome the sleepwalking first half.

Defense has been WVU’s calling card this season — one that had their overall record dimmed to 13-6 because of losses to Arizona State and the Wildcats.

But defense mostly takes more concerted and consistent energy than does basketball offense and the first unwatchable minutes of the Kansas State game did not show the energy level the team had provided in getting to 13-4 and getting ranked No. 23 in the country.

It seems that now no one expects DeVries to come bouncing out of the tunnel at the Coliseum and join the layup line in pre-game warmups.

If, indeed, he isn’t returning, how will the scoring-short Mountaineers find the points to win even in low-scoring games?

Jonathan Powell, who plays an extraordinary amount of minutes, isn’t suddenly going to shoot 20 times, go the foul line like a perpetual motion machine or score 22 points against a conference rival. The bench provides little scoring, but does have the hustle and grit needed to generate some inspiration.

This team usually has rebounding shortcomings, especially on the offensive end.

Tucker DeVries seems to be the lone piece that could be added to a suddenly offensively “challenged” puzzle.

If only the coach himself could score. He has done everything else to make this team competitive — even beating Kansas in Lawrence and beating then No. 2 Iowa State at the Coliseum.