The West Virginia Mountaineers will begin Big 12 Conference play on January 2nd when they visit the 3rd-ranked and unbeaten Iowa State Cyclones. It is safe to say that West Virginia’s first true road game of the season will be a difficult test in a hostile environment at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
Before we shift gears completely to Big 12 play, let’s be honest about the current state of the 9-4 Mountaineers who have completed their non-conference slate. Here are four observations regarding the start to the season for West Virginia.
1. Ongoing Cycle
Simply put, West Virginia has beaten up” on teams that are not as talented, and their four losses have come against unranked power conference teams. After a 5-0 start (including a win over the 7-6 Pitt Panthers), WVU dropped consecutive games to Clemson and Xavier in the Charleston Classic. The Mountaineers followed that up by winning four of their next six games, but lost to both Wake Forest and Ohio State in neutral-site games. With all due respect to the teams that the Mountaineers have beaten this season, they have yet to collect a win that would be deemed as an impressive one on their resume.
2. Second Half Defense
The achilles heel for the Mountaineers thus far may very well come on the defensive side of the ball. In all four of West Virginia’s losses, the defense has allowed a 40+ point second half to the opposing offenses. While the 30,000-foot view would suggest that the Mountaineers rank among the best teams in the nation in defense (allowing just 60.2 points per game), the four losses more accurately tell the tale for this team.
A 45-point second half for Clemson led to the Tigers overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to win the game. Xavier continued their shot shooting from the first half with 42 points in the second half. Juke Harris and Wake Forest caught fire, scoring 41 points in the second for a nine-point win after the game was tied at the half. Lastly, Ohio State erased a big 2nd half deficit by scoring 41 points to force overtime, eventually winning the game in double overtime.
Simply put, West Virginia has seen immense struggles defensively in four second halves this season, and they lost all four games.
3. Shot Creation Is Lacking
Even dating back to the Bob Huggins era, it seems that West Virginia teams have struggled to see numerous players who are capable of creating their own shots. On more than one occasion this season, it seems as if their only chance or attempt to score comes on an Honor Huff three-point attempt. Treysen Eaglesstaff is a proven scorer who has been inconsistent for WVU this season, though he is the most-likely of candidates when it comes to creating your own shot. But the Mountaineers are in serious need of a second player who consistently creates their own offense.
4. Vanilla Offense
Similar to the first point raised, West Virginia’s offense has looked significantly better against lesser competition this season. In their nine wins, West Virginia has done a great job moving the ball around and getting everyone involved in the flow of the offense. In those nine games, WVU has had seven different players lead the team in scoring. In three of the four losses, Honor Huff has been the team’s leading scorer. Particularly in the team’s most recent loss to Ohio State, the offense was rather predictable in the secnd half and overtime periods. It seemed as if just about every possession would end in an Honor Huff \three-point attempt or a Chance Moore drive to the basket.
If West Virginia desires to pick up resume-building wins in Big 12 Conference play, it needs to make significant strides on both sides of the floor.