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West Virginia basketball must fix its issues

By Joshua Taylor

Feb 16, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tarik Phillip (12) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tarik Phillip (12) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite its loss to the Texas Longhorns last night, West Virginia basketball is still a force to be reckoned with.

In order to compete for a national title, all teams need a little bit of luck to go their way. West Virginia basketball has been decently lucky this year, yet there is no questioning their solidity. Along with a great game plan, WVU has won 20 games because they have been injury free all season. Until the Texas game, the Mountaineers haven’t had to play a man down because of injury.

It is crucial to get guards Daxter Miles and Jaysean Paige healthy. This isn’t the same Mountaineer team without them. They can’t press the same, and are forced to play mostly big men. The problem is however, WVU big men will wear down going against smaller teams. As much as they prepare and condition to press, a big man can only guard smaller guys for so long before they get worn out. This was proven against Texas Tuesday night, when WVU got beat up and down the court.

With all the great things that WVU does, they must correct their issues. That starts with free throws, which the Mountaineers shoot around 66% from the line. If it wasn’t for free throws, you could easily see the Mountaineers with two or even three more wins. Bob Huggins should go one whole practice where no one leaves the free throw line, no matter how many they have made. Free throws are what separate the good teams from great ones.

Another sore area for the Mountaineers is three-point shooting. Although the Mountaineers were OK against Texas on Tuesday night, it’s an area where WVU should start to reconsider. There is no need to take contested threes when you can’t shoot them anyways. Wide open shots are acceptable and always should be, but there is no reason to shoot them unless you are forced to. Stick to inside the paint, and 15 footers.

This team has been very inconsistent as of late, and has to regroup before #3 Oklahoma comes to town on Saturday. The Mountaineers need to show improvement, and must get healthy. If they can do that, they can take down anyone at any time. The NCAA Tournament is all based on match-ups, as long as WVU can avoid Texas in the tournament, they may stand a chance to go all the way.

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