MINNEAPOLIS -- West Virginia's Devin Ebanks gets noticed first for his long, lanky frame.

"I knew he would get a lot of rebounds and defensively get a lot of hands on balls," West Virginia senior Alex Ruoff said Thursday of his early impressions of Ebanks, a 6-9 freshman forward.

It didn't take long for Ruoff and others to see Ebanks could do much more. Ebanks is a multidimensional threat who has played in the post, on the wing and at point guard going into the NCAA tournament.

The sixth-seeded Mountaineers (23-11) play a first-round game against No. 11 seed Dayton (26-7) today at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Ebanks, who averages 10.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, had breakthrough games last week in the Big East tournament. He had 20 points in West Virginia's quarterfinal upset of Pittsburgh and 22 in an overtime loss to Syracuse in the semifinals.

Instead of being overwhelmed in the Big East, the country's toughest conference this season, Ebanks flourished.

"It is a surprise to everybody else, but these are things we have seen him do (in practice)," said junior forward Da'Sean Butler, the team's leading scorer with a 17.3-point average.

Ebanks could pose a big matchup problem for Dayton, which has a deep rotation to alternate defenders on him but probably doesn't have anyone to match Ebanks' quickness and creativity.

"He's a great athlete," Dayton sophomore forward Chris Wright said. "He is long and gets on the boards. And if you don't cut him out, he can really be dangerous and really hurt you."

Ebanks was a highly regarded recruit coming out of St. Thomas More School in Connecticut. He signed with Indiana when Kelvin Sampson coached there but was released from his letter of intent after Sampson departed. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins signed him last May.

Ebanks said his top priority was fitting in with his West Virginia teammates.

"Basically, I just try to follow these two guys," Ebanks said of Ruoff and Butler. "I wouldn't really say that I do something great all the time, but as long as I can do a little bit to help us get a win …"

He started the season in modest scoring fashion: nine points against Elon in the season opener and four against Kentucky in the team's fifth game. In February he started a streak of nine double-digit scoring games.

His ability impressed Huggins enough that the coach used him at point guard against Louisville.

"He has a great aptitude to learn," Huggins said. "He really understands basketball, and he really understands things that you're telling him to do. …  He just knows what everybody is supposed to do."

When it comes to rebounding, Ebanks has been a force all season. In December, he had back-to-back games with 17 rebounds. His season high is 18.

His body and skills look like a good fit for the NBA, but he's a year away from being ready, said West Virginia assistant Larry Harrison.

Meantime, he'll keep building his confidence, which has grown by leaps and bounds.

"All the Big East teams in the (NCAA) tournament probably have a step on everybody else," Ebanks said.

He would know.