The West Virginia Mountaineers gave an admirable fight on Sunday, but couldn't get the job done against the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders, falling 70-63 as they hosted Tech at the Hope Coliseum in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers had opportunities, however, with many squandered by a dismal shooting performance that proved to be an eventual dagger for WVU. But according to head coach Ross Hodge after the game, there was one other facet of the game in which he felt the Mountaineers could have been stronger.
Ross Hodge and 'Expecting To Win'
While the Mountaineers did a good job on the stat sheet when it came to hustle plays, winning both the rebounding battle and outscoring Tech in second-chance points. But in the end, Hodge feels like his team was a bit too lackadaisical with their effort on loose balls and hustle plays, and that it demonstrates the difference between where his team currently is and where they need to be.
"I told our team to start the game, you can't get beat on every loose ball," Hodge said. "There's a difference in wanting to play in these games and legitimately expecting to win these games. That was the ultimate disappointing part of the game to me."
Hodge: "I told our team to start the game, you can't get beat on every loose ball. There's a difference in wanting to play in these games and legitimately expecting to win these games. That was the ultimate disappointing part of the game to me."
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It's clear Hodge doesn't quite feel as if his team has bought into the idea that they can go into a game against a team like Texas Tech (or Arizona or Houston or Iowa State) and expect to beat their opponents. And until you have that confidence, it's tough to be competitive night-in and night-out in the Big 12.