The West Virginia Mountaineers entered Tuesday night’s matchup with TCU seeking a win if they desired to stay on what appeared to be on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Undoubtedly, WVU entered play on Tuesday night in need of two or three wins down the stretch to solidify their NCAA Tournament resume. This was a big matchup for TCU's tournament hopes as well, as all is not lost on their tournament aspirations either. In the end, West Virginia (17-11, 8-9) was able to prevail and pick up a big 73-55 win.
In the matchup with the Horned Frogs, three things we already knew about the Mountaineers reigned true in the Tuesday night win at the WVU Coliseum.
1. Javon Small is elite and more than capable of being the face of a March Madness takeover
With the Mountaineers needing a win, their best player delivered. Javon Small put up a massive double-double performance that lit up the offensive end of the floor -- he tallied 23 points and 10 assists, and also chipped in 5 rebounds for good measure.
Small knocked down 6-of-11 three-point attempts in 39 minutes played. For Small, who has been sensational all season long, this is his best performance in the entire month of February and it couldn’t have come at a better time. His six made three-pointers and 10 assists are both season highs.
Even in the CBS Sports Network broadcast, there was mention of Javon Small potentially being one of the talks of the NCAA Tournament should the Mountaineers get in and advance to the second weekend.
“I thought he was terrific. We told him we got to have him continue to be aggressive. We’re putting a lot on him, but he’s capable of it," DeVries said of Small. Even as the broadcasters indicated during the TCU matchup, hardly anyone expected WVU to have the success they have had this season, and Javon Small is a major reason for it, he has been that good.
2. Defensive Intensity allows West Virginia to win games
They may not be the most talented team defensively, but on several occasions this season the Mountaineers' all-out effort has helped them pick up wins.
West Virginia ranks second overall in the Big 12 in points per game allowed, trailing only Houston. From the start of the game with TCU, Sencire Harris was a tone-setter on the defensive end and his teammates caught on and exemplified that level of energy.
Players were diving for loose balls, forcing TCU into difficult shots, and causing numerous struggles for TCU in the half-court offense. In a lot of ways, WVU’s offense fed off of their defense -- which was a major reason for their 15-point halftime lead Tuesday. West Virginia will surely hear their name called on Selection Sunday if they finish the season with this level of defensive intensity.
3. Wins are easier to come by when Javon Small gets some help
This one seems especially simple, but that does not make it any less true. When the Mountaineers are able to earn solid production from players not named Javon Small, the Mountaineers are a tough team to beat.
To go along with what he brought defensively, Sencire Harris put up a career-high 13 points against TCU. Joseph Yesufu, who has provided a pretty consistent scoring punch through the month of February, contributed 14 points and knocked down four three-point baskets.
Javon Small had 10 assists on Tuesday for a reason -- his teammates did their job by knocking down open looks. The inverse of this is also true, though, as the way that teams are keying in on Small when other guys aren’t producing could create more long nights for the West Virginia offense.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be the same players each time out providing Small with some help, but it does have to come from somewhere. Amani Hansberry had 9 points and only made 1-of-6 three-point attempts while Jonathan Powell was held scoreless in his 23 minutes of action -- but each have had massive offensive efforts in previous games.
And it may not sound like much, but in addition to Yesufu’s 14-point effort, both Eduardo Andre and KJ Tenner scored 4 off the bench, bringing the Mountaineers to 22 bench points total. Those bench points go a long way in helping WVU combat the deeper benches of their opponents.
The Road Ahead
With three games left in the regular season, the Mountaineers would likely be feeling pretty comfortable if they are able to secure two more wins (excluding the Big 12 Tournament) heading into Selection Sunday.
at BYU (19-8, 10-6) - Saturday, March 1st, 10pm ET
As the calendar turns to March, West Virginia will head to Provo for a tough test against the BYU Cougars who defeated the Mountaineers in Morgantown on February 11th.
The Cougars are finding their groove, winning four straight and eight of their last 10 games. At this rate, BYU has seemingly worked their way off of the NCAA Tournament bubble, and they are coming off of an impressive road win at Arizona on Saturday night.
at Utah (15-12, 7-9) - Tuesday, March 4th, 9pm ET
West Virginia will stay in the state of Utah when they play the Utes for the second time this season. WVU defeated Utah 72-61 back on February 8th. Utah is not currently on Lunardi’s bubble radar despite bolstering the same conference record as the Mountaineers currently.
vs UCF (14-13, 5-11) - Saturday, March 8th, 5pm ET
West Virginia will close out the regular season at home when they host the UCF Knights. It will be their only matchup of the season with UCF and one that the Mountaineers may very well need to win if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.