WVU basketball: Mountaineers can stop the Trae Young hype train
Oklahoma might have the most hype of any team in the Big 12 right now. And yes, the WVU basketball team is ranked higher than the Sooners.
The reason why everybody is talking about Oklahoma is because of freshman sensation Trae Young. The 19-year old is a sharpshooter and a dazzling offensive force. He is averaging 29.4 points per game and is making the rest of the team come together in unique ways.
The hype is real, but it might be a bit overblown. Trae Young can be stopped and it is up to the WVU basketball team to do that on Saturday at the Coliseum. A sold out crowd will be ready to welcome Young to big-time college basketball.
Young not only can score at will, he can dish it out with the best of them. He averages more than 10 assists per game, making the players around him so much better. The team can pick him up, too, and that was the case in the Sooners’ most recent victory. OU beat rival Oklahoma State, 109-89, on Wednesday.
Young only scored 27 points, but he has still put together 12-straight games of scoring more than 20 points. His 39-point, 14 assist game against TCU is what really skyrocketed his fame across the country. Young can get it done against the best teams in the country, there’s no doubt about that.
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But Young hasn’t yet faced a team like the Mountaineers. With the best backcourt and best defense in the country, Young will have trouble getting past Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles. The senior leaders for the WVU basketball team won’t easily give in to a youngster like Young. Carter has been the most reliable defender in the country the past two years and already leads the country in steals. Miles is coming to his own this season and has saved his best play for his last collegiate season.
If the Mountaineers are able to win against Oklahoma, maybe people will stop talking so much about Young and the Sooners. Then, it will be time to give some love to the Mountaineers. Plus, aside from Carter and Miles, the WVU basketball team has its own gritty scorer in Teddy Allen.
Next: WVU basketball remains unbeaten in Big 12
Allen and Young are easily two of the best freshman in the country. Saturday provides a national stage for them both to shine. The winner of this game has the inside track to a Big 12 title.