My Fiver on WVU's victory over the Quakers last night at the Coliseum....
1. With about 14 & a half minutes left in the 1st half, WVU held a 14-7 lead. The next four possessions went like this for WVU:
- Erik Stevenson three-pointer
- Joe Toussaint three-pointer
- Tre Mitchell three-pointer
- Emmitt Matthews Jr. three-pointer
3 minutes later, we're up 26-9, game over. We're so much better and more multiple this year, that it is scary.
2. When we landed Erik Stevenson from South Carolina, I was happy that we were picking up a defensive stopper, as last year's endless layup line needed to stop. I had no idea we'd be getting a much more polished, effective, and dangerous offensive player than Sean McNeil as well. 8/9 from the field, 4/4 from "3", 21 points in just 16 minutes. Is that good?
3. This team is so much more experienced and plays a much, much more intelligent brand of basketball than the mess we saw last season. Last night, for example, we played 40 minutes and had just 7 turnovers. No WVU player had more than 1. Our spacing is better. Our shot selection is much more improved. Loved seeing Erik Stevenson pull up for a heat-check "3" on a fast break when we had numbers. That's a good shot. Last year, only Taz would've attempted such a shot. Our guys are not hesitating offensively. No shot fakes to nowhere this season. Even our "bigs" are efficient down low.
4. We're about to find out how well we can guard next week. As @Thick points out, Wednesday night will be about cutting Zach Edey off, not about trying to stop him once he has the ball. Force turnovers, get out and run them, cut off their passing lanes. This is a game where Erik Stevenson, Keddy Johnson, and Joe Toussaint need to shine on the defensive end.
5. You want to know the mindset of our guys? Stevenson let slip out during the post-game presser that they want to "go out there, win the Tournament and get into the Top 5". He also added that they are looking forward to getting punched in the mouth and seeing how they respond. The basketball season is about to get really, really interesting. Buckle up.
1. With about 14 & a half minutes left in the 1st half, WVU held a 14-7 lead. The next four possessions went like this for WVU:
- Erik Stevenson three-pointer
- Joe Toussaint three-pointer
- Tre Mitchell three-pointer
- Emmitt Matthews Jr. three-pointer
3 minutes later, we're up 26-9, game over. We're so much better and more multiple this year, that it is scary.
2. When we landed Erik Stevenson from South Carolina, I was happy that we were picking up a defensive stopper, as last year's endless layup line needed to stop. I had no idea we'd be getting a much more polished, effective, and dangerous offensive player than Sean McNeil as well. 8/9 from the field, 4/4 from "3", 21 points in just 16 minutes. Is that good?
3. This team is so much more experienced and plays a much, much more intelligent brand of basketball than the mess we saw last season. Last night, for example, we played 40 minutes and had just 7 turnovers. No WVU player had more than 1. Our spacing is better. Our shot selection is much more improved. Loved seeing Erik Stevenson pull up for a heat-check "3" on a fast break when we had numbers. That's a good shot. Last year, only Taz would've attempted such a shot. Our guys are not hesitating offensively. No shot fakes to nowhere this season. Even our "bigs" are efficient down low.
4. We're about to find out how well we can guard next week. As @Thick points out, Wednesday night will be about cutting Zach Edey off, not about trying to stop him once he has the ball. Force turnovers, get out and run them, cut off their passing lanes. This is a game where Erik Stevenson, Keddy Johnson, and Joe Toussaint need to shine on the defensive end.
5. You want to know the mindset of our guys? Stevenson let slip out during the post-game presser that they want to "go out there, win the Tournament and get into the Top 5". He also added that they are looking forward to getting punched in the mouth and seeing how they respond. The basketball season is about to get really, really interesting. Buckle up.
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