West Virginia Basketball: three takeaways from the loss to Baylor

Jan 31, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Taz Sherman (12) drives on Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24) during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2022; Waco, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Taz Sherman (12) drives on Baylor Bears guard Matthew Mayer (24) during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
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MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – JANUARY 18: Isaiah Cottrell #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers takes a jump shot during a college basketball game against the Baylor Bears at the WVU Coliseum on January 18, 2022 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – JANUARY 18: Isaiah Cottrell #13 of the West Virginia Mountaineers takes a jump shot during a college basketball game against the Baylor Bears at the WVU Coliseum on January 18, 2022 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Shots were fired, shots were missed

Shooting has been an issue for the Mountaineers all year long, though the Mountaineers shooting did improve against the Bears. West Virginia made 54 percent of their shots and only hit on 41 percent of their three-pointers, both large improvements over their performance against Arkansas a few days prior. The Mountaineers were only able to hit 61 percent of their free throws for the night, ten percent lower than Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

Moving forward West Virginia needs to go back to basics and make sure that they capitalize on more of their scoring opportunities. If West Virginia was more consistent in their shooting, the Mountaineers could have taken great advantage of Baylor and potentially added a win to their record.

Overall, the entire team needs to step up every game if the Mountaineers want to end this losing skid, not just one player.

The Mountaineers leading scorer for the night was senior Taz Sherman, who had 29 points despite getting injured with four minutes left in the game. The second-highest scorer on West Virginia was senior guard Sean McNeil, who scored 16 points of his own.

Outside of Sherman and McNeil, no other player could break the double-digit barrier. West Virginia’s bench only racked up 15 points total. Moving forward, every player will need to contribute if the Mountaineers want a chance to win.