Things did not go according to plan for the West Virginia men’s basketball program during their short-lived time spent in Kanas City for the Big 12 Tournament. After a 6-point lead at half-time, one that was a double-digit lead at numerous points, the Mountaineers gave up a 44-point second half to the 16th-seeded Colorado Buffaloes. While disappointment reared its ugly head in Kansas City, WVU is not without hope as they will likely hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
After picking up 2 wins (at Utah, vs UCF) to close out the regular season, WVU finished with a .500 record in conference play, each win appears to be massive, given the upset loss they suffered to Colorado.
While expecting to hear their name called, West Virginia certainly would like to avoid playing an extra game as part of the “First Four” in Dayton, matchups consisting of bubble teams that will play either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
With that said, should West Virginia make the big dance there is one glaring issue that stands out above the rest of the team’s concerns.
Extreme Offensive Woes
On numerous occasions this season, West Virginia has gone through paralyzing scoring droughts throughout a game. The loss to Colorado is no exception to this. A 15-0 run by Colorado in the second half allowed the Buffaloes to take the lead, one they would not relinquish in the game’s closing minutes.
First-Team All-Big 12 performer Javon Small has had a sensational season for the Mountaineers, but since his running mate Tucker DeVries went down for the season in early December, West Virginia has had immense difficulty finding additional scoring around Small. Sure, the likes of Amani Hansberry, Joseph Yesufu, and Jonathan Powell have stepped up at times, but no one has been consistent enough to provide a dependable scoring threat night in and night out.
Again, if there was one problem plaguing the Mountaineers, this is it. While they surrendered 44 points to Colorado in the second half, that was even a bit of an outlier in a season where West Virginia has been solid defensively. Amani Hansberry didn’t make a field goal against Colorado, Joseph Yesufu didn’t make any threes, and Sencire Harris is a majoroffensive liability, making just 11% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season.
Can It Be Fixed
ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla was adamant about Javon Small needing to be more aggressive in the Colorado loss. At times to close the season, Small looking for his shot more had become commonplace. In the 2-point win at Utah last week, Small’s play late was terrific. Against UCF in the regular season finale Small attempted 23 shots, his most in a single game during the entire season.
Against Colorado, Small came out aggressive, picking up 13 early points en route to a double-digit lead in the first half. While he finished with 23 points, there was a long stretch of the game (spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second) where Small only attempted a couple shots. What happened? Why is Small not being the aggressor for the entire 40 minutes?
For one, because of the offensive woes that we have already alluded to, Small is alone at the top of the scouting report for opposing defenses. In some ways the defensive mantra for all opposing teams is likely, “We can not let Javon Small beat us.”
Secondly, while Small has been incredible at putting the ball in the basket this season, he is a point guard in every sense of the word. Small desires for his teammates to get involved as is evidenced by his 22 games this season recording 5 or more assists.
The reality is that even in the NCAA Tournament the Mountaineers should not rely on Javon Small to be Superman. As good as he is, as capable as he is to have a 30-point outing, he needs help. While Fran Fraschilla makes a pretty solid argument, if West Virginia is relying on 25+ shot attempts from Javon Small, they’re likely going home early because WVU’s offensive game plan and style are not likely going to change much meaning they need production from the likes of Hansberry, Powell, and Yesufu in order to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.