West Virginia basketball: three takeaways from the loss to Arkansas

Jan 29, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kedrian Johnson (0) dribbles as Arkansas Razorbacks guard JD Notae (1) looks on in the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 77-68. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kedrian Johnson (0) dribbles as Arkansas Razorbacks guard JD Notae (1) looks on in the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 77-68. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
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Takeaway three: scoring, fouls, and everything else was troublesome

Jan 29, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks to an official in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 77-68. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks to an official in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 77-68. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Despite an exciting second half of basketball which saw Kedrian Johnson have his best scoring game yet, the Mountaineers could not overcome Arkansas’ sizeable lead.

The Mountaineers never looked comfortable throughout the game, struggling to make many easy shots and never taking the initiative for extended periods.

One of the most significant issues for West Virginia was their shooting percentage. The Mountaineers only made 38.3% of their shots and went 7-for-26 in three-point shots for the afternoon. This left a lot of game-changing points on the table.

A significant yet reoccurring issue for the Mountaineers was fouling. The Mountaineers had a total of 29 fouls, including five players with over four fouls. Between the struggle to consistently score and continually giving Arkansas plenty of opportunities to get ahead, the Mountaineers have a lot to fix before Monday night’s game against No. 4 Baylor.