–West Virginia battled hard in this one, but couldn’t make enough plays at the end to get over the hump. This team really plays hard, but you could see it late in the second half that they just didn’t have much left to get over the hump, especially late at the free throw line. Still, this was a winnable game and West Virginia simply couldn’t make enough plays to get it done. I thought the offense looked good early and was really flowing but that wasn’t the case in the second half. The Mountaineers are now 3-4 on the season and unless some things change with the roster this is going to be a difficult ride. Still, these kids are playing their hearts out and that needs to be noticed.
–Jesse Edwards battled foul trouble in this one which limited him to just 23-minutes and it really hurt the Mountaineers overall. He finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds, but the Mountaineers need him on the floor because while Patrick Suemnick battles he just can’t come close to filling his shoes. My only complaint with Edwards right now is that he has to be stronger with the ball, but he is a very skilled big and it’s been exciting to watch him this season.
–Quinn Slazinski got a little out of control at times, but was by far the best offensive option for this team late in the game. He finished with 19 points on 5-10 shooting with 7 rebounds. He just has been a consistent option for this team and has really developed into the second scoring weapon. His ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim has been better than I expected.
–Kobe Johnson continued his string of good play on the offensive end with 14 points on 4-9 from the field. The one positive from Kriisa being out of the lineup is that it’s forced Johnson to be more assertive and for the most part he has responded of late. I think he is really going to benefit from not being asked to do so much in the point guard role when Kriisa is back on the floor.
–This team needs Kerr Kriisa back badly to facilitate and run this team. Seth Wilson had a rough night, but especially during a sequence in the second half when he was at point guard. He traveled on a 3-on-1 break and made some poor decisions with the ball. He played 28 minutes and was 0-11 from the field. Wilson finished the game at -10.
–Welcome back Josiah Harris. After going 0-10 from the field over his last two, Harris was 3-4 with 10 points and 8 rebounds. He seemed to step into his shot more confidently in this one and hitting a three-ball could be a good sign of what’s to come. He has been getting open shots this year and not making them so just seeing the ball go through the net has to be a good first step. West Virginia needs him to produce and give them something from that spot and 10 and 8 will do any night.
–West Virginia continues to struggle with defensive rebounding as they allowed 18 offensive rebounds to the Red Storm and 26 (!) second chance points. Some of that was due to the zone, but some of them were off free throw misses that really shifted the momentum of the game especially as they were trying to get back into it late. This continues to be a massive problem with this team and they’re going to need to get it fixed or winning games is going to prove to be difficult.
–Patrick Suemnick had to play 20 minutes in this one due to foul trouble and I thought he gave them a spark at times. He is limited with what he brings offensively, but he does hustle and was able to poke the ball away and score on a tip to give West Virginia some momentum. Now, he struggled with Soriano in the post but that’s a tough ask.
–Ofri Naveh is going to be very good as he continues to develop. He’s got to get stronger and struggles with the physicality right now, but he is very skilled and makes some veteran plays despite being a true freshman. His toss to Edwards for a dunk might have been the best pass I saw all night. He didn’t make a shot from the field but was 9-12 from the line and led the team with 3 assists.
–West Virginia was 31-43 from the free throw line but missed 10 of those in the second half when it looked as if some of the players out there had tired legs. These guys are being asked to do a lot and it was pretty obvious late that some of them were just gassed.
–The Mountaineers had just 6 assists on 19 made baskets. That isn’t going to get it done.
–West Virginia only turned the ball over 12 times, but St. John’s turned that into 11 points.
–The Mountaineers were 12-28 on layups and dunks. They had some shots right at the rim, and while St. John’s definitely challenged them at times and made it difficult to finish some of those, you’ve got to be able to put the ball in the basket especially with the current situation.
–Next up is Pitt. It’s a blackout game and if there is one game in the non-conference that you’d circle to win it’s almost universally going to be this one. This has been a rough start for this team, but hope to see the place packed with the Mountaineers hoping to get a big non-conference win over a rival.
–Jesse Edwards battled foul trouble in this one which limited him to just 23-minutes and it really hurt the Mountaineers overall. He finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds, but the Mountaineers need him on the floor because while Patrick Suemnick battles he just can’t come close to filling his shoes. My only complaint with Edwards right now is that he has to be stronger with the ball, but he is a very skilled big and it’s been exciting to watch him this season.
–Quinn Slazinski got a little out of control at times, but was by far the best offensive option for this team late in the game. He finished with 19 points on 5-10 shooting with 7 rebounds. He just has been a consistent option for this team and has really developed into the second scoring weapon. His ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim has been better than I expected.
–Kobe Johnson continued his string of good play on the offensive end with 14 points on 4-9 from the field. The one positive from Kriisa being out of the lineup is that it’s forced Johnson to be more assertive and for the most part he has responded of late. I think he is really going to benefit from not being asked to do so much in the point guard role when Kriisa is back on the floor.
–This team needs Kerr Kriisa back badly to facilitate and run this team. Seth Wilson had a rough night, but especially during a sequence in the second half when he was at point guard. He traveled on a 3-on-1 break and made some poor decisions with the ball. He played 28 minutes and was 0-11 from the field. Wilson finished the game at -10.
–Welcome back Josiah Harris. After going 0-10 from the field over his last two, Harris was 3-4 with 10 points and 8 rebounds. He seemed to step into his shot more confidently in this one and hitting a three-ball could be a good sign of what’s to come. He has been getting open shots this year and not making them so just seeing the ball go through the net has to be a good first step. West Virginia needs him to produce and give them something from that spot and 10 and 8 will do any night.
–West Virginia continues to struggle with defensive rebounding as they allowed 18 offensive rebounds to the Red Storm and 26 (!) second chance points. Some of that was due to the zone, but some of them were off free throw misses that really shifted the momentum of the game especially as they were trying to get back into it late. This continues to be a massive problem with this team and they’re going to need to get it fixed or winning games is going to prove to be difficult.
–Patrick Suemnick had to play 20 minutes in this one due to foul trouble and I thought he gave them a spark at times. He is limited with what he brings offensively, but he does hustle and was able to poke the ball away and score on a tip to give West Virginia some momentum. Now, he struggled with Soriano in the post but that’s a tough ask.
–Ofri Naveh is going to be very good as he continues to develop. He’s got to get stronger and struggles with the physicality right now, but he is very skilled and makes some veteran plays despite being a true freshman. His toss to Edwards for a dunk might have been the best pass I saw all night. He didn’t make a shot from the field but was 9-12 from the line and led the team with 3 assists.
–West Virginia was 31-43 from the free throw line but missed 10 of those in the second half when it looked as if some of the players out there had tired legs. These guys are being asked to do a lot and it was pretty obvious late that some of them were just gassed.
–The Mountaineers had just 6 assists on 19 made baskets. That isn’t going to get it done.
–West Virginia only turned the ball over 12 times, but St. John’s turned that into 11 points.
–The Mountaineers were 12-28 on layups and dunks. They had some shots right at the rim, and while St. John’s definitely challenged them at times and made it difficult to finish some of those, you’ve got to be able to put the ball in the basket especially with the current situation.
–Next up is Pitt. It’s a blackout game and if there is one game in the non-conference that you’d circle to win it’s almost universally going to be this one. This has been a rough start for this team, but hope to see the place packed with the Mountaineers hoping to get a big non-conference win over a rival.
