Fans might have expected a bit of an easier contest against a low-major team like Mount St. Mary's, but WVU basketball had to put forth a gutsy effort in a relatively tight game to escape the Hope Coliseum in Morgantown with a 70-54 victory to start off the first game of the Ross Hodge era in winning fashion. Here are our takeaways from Tuesday night's game.
Jasper Floyd, Brenen Lorient Are The Real Deal
Maybe it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the two players that followed Hodge from North Texas looked the most comfortable playing for him to start the season, but it's worth noting who look like serious contributors for WVU early – and point guard Jasper Floyd and forward Brenen Lorient did just that.
Floyd led the offense like the seasoned court general he is, and was also the leading scorer with an impressive 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. He also chipped in five steals and four assists in the win. Meanwhile, Lorient was dominant underneath while seven-foot center Harlan Obioha struggled a bit, racking up a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. These two players could be a dangerous combo for WVU.
Free Throws, 3-Point Shooting Still Needs To Come Together
WVU has been hyped up as a potential dangerous scoring team from deep-range, with the combination of the top returning three-point shooter in Division 1 in Honor Huff and former North Dakota sharpshooter Treysen Eaglestaff both on the roster, in addition to a number of depth pieces with plenty of deep-range shooting ability.
But tonight, WVU went just 5-of-18 (28 percent) from three-point range, which won't cut it once WVU makes it to Big 12 play. WVU was also 23-of-35 (65 percent) from the free-throw line, which has been a struggle for many different iterations of the Mountaineers in the past, and fans realize it will also cost the team several games if it isn't fixed.
Treysen Eaglestaff Missing In Action?
Speaking of Eaglestaff, recorded multiple 40-plus point games and was a dangerous scorer from anywhere and everywhere on the floor for North Dakota last season. In Tuesday night's season opener, he scored just one point, going 0-for-3 from the field and 1-for-3 from the free throw line.
Eaglestaff was a highly-sought after transfer who is presumed to also be an expensive acquisition, and is expected to be a major scoring threat in this offense. Hopefully he just is having a tough time adjusting to his new role on a team with more talent than he was surrounded with last season, but Tuesday proved a worrisome first night out for Eaglestaff.
Don't Overreact
Yes, WVU did only win by 16 points against an MAAC team, and it was a tight game that saw the Mountaineers trail in the first half. But this is also a team entirely built from new players, and only two of which have played together previously. Chemistry takes awhile to develop, and sometimes shots just don't fall when you're working out your early season struggles. Mount St. Mary's also did reach the NCAA Tournament last season with a 23-13 overall record in their head coach's first season leading the program. The slow start that lead to an eventual win might be concerning, but it shoudln;t be too concerning.