My fiver on a season cut way too short...
1. The last ten minutes of the season showed us what we could be. Trailing #3 Baylor by 3, 10:49 to go in the game, Derek Culver turned the ball over. Huggins pulled Culver immediately and inserted Jermaine Haley into the game. Our team on the floor was now Miles McBride, Sean McNeil, Emmitt Matthews Jr. & Oscar Tshiebwe. We proceeded to run Baylor off of the court over the next 10 minutes, outscoring them by 15 over that time frame. The floor spacing was incredible. No one on Baylor could check Oscar. Emmitt Matthews was attacking with aggression, ditto Jermaine Haley. Sean McNeil was dragging his defender around the court like a satellite. Miles McBride had a thunder dunk that brought down the house. The ball was moving. It was electric.
2. Correspondingly, I believe the 2-Big lineup was a failure. Certainly, it worked early on...but once the tape was out, Big 12 teams adjusted. It became easy to stop. Do you think Bob Huggins agrees? Or, do you think Huggins is Rich Rodriguez facing South Florida...he knows they have the antidote and his only response is to keep calling the same number and hope to break through? I have the feeling that Bob Huggins believes he can play 2-Big "big boy" basketball again next year, and we'll just perhaps be better at it. I don't believe those last ten minutes vs. Baylor was any sort of revelation. I do think you were going to see more 3-guard lineups in the Big 12 Tournament, and the Big Dance. You'd probably see more of McBride-McNeil-Sherman. But, I just can't get myself to believe that Bob Huggins thinks he perhaps made a tactical error jamming the lane with Oscar & Derek all season, inhibiting our ability to score.
3. Emmitt Matthews Jr. I still believe this kid could be something special. But, he won't be if he is the starting "3" next year, with Derek at 4 and Oscar at 5. It is his kyptonite. There's no room to slash. There's no transition, where he thrives. He is essentially boxed in as a spot-shooter. And, that's not his game. Matthews is at his best in transition. He needs to run, and he needs wide open spaces like the last ten minutes vs. Baylor. Then, you see a different guy. He can take defenders off the bounce and throw down. He just needs the right ingredients on the floor to cook his recipe. And, he's been given the wrong grocery list. If our lineup next year mirrors the last ten minutes vs. Baylor - say, McBride-McNeil-Bridges-Matthews-Oscar....Matthews could end up having a team MVP season.
4. Sophomore slump for Jordan McCabe. McCabe became a bit of a pariah around here this year. It reminded me a lot of the disdain we witnessed for Nate Adrian his sophomore year. Here's what we know: McCabe can perform at a high level against Big 12 competition, if given the opportunity. He did it as a true freshman. 25 points & 12 assists vs. TCU, 18 points, 6 steals including 5/6 from "3" vs. Iowa State, there were other impressive showings. But, obviously, something was off this year. His shot was broke. He seemed to be looking over his shoulder for the quick hook. He wasn't playing free. But, he is the one true point guard, floor general type that we have. And, I would not be surprised if he starts again at point next season. A little prediction>>> McCabe is going to come back next year ripping nets and playing well. He is a worker bee. He's conscientious. He knows he let people down. He's going to work his tail off and come back with a vengeance in the Fall. Yes, Miles McBride has the bigger upside -- but McCabe could definitely be a Davide Moretti type for WVU.
5. Miles McBride is going to be something special. I haven't seen a true freshman guard at WVU with a more impressive freshman campaign since Mike Boyd. McBride's performance down the stretch vs. Northern Iowa was nothing short of sensational, and was the eye-opener. His performance vs. Ohio State was proof positive that he was ready for the big stage. His run down and block of Devin Dotson vs. KU in the Coliseum was next-level stuff. Huggins did not let WVU be a guard-oriented team this year because of Big Boy Ball. But, next season? There's a chance that the reigns are taken off of McBride and he becomes The Man at WVU. Oscar Tshiebwe will garner the preseason accolades and attention, and with good reason. But, when the chips are down next year, the ball will be in McBride's hands. Get used to it. By the time he's done here, he'll likely be another Junkyard Dog type legend. Huge upside. Unclog the lane, let Sean McNeil ride next to him, and let him loose.
High Point? Tie between the Baylor victory and beating Ohio State in Ohio. The latter never gets old.
Low Point? February.
MVP? Miles McBride
WTF Moment: The Knapper-Harler-Haley-Osabuohien-Routt lineup during the final few minutes of the first half at Oklahoma that got pummeled.
Moment of Pride: Miles McBride's one-man comeback vs. Northern Iowa
Conclusion: A good season, but frustrating nonetheless. I hate 9-9 in the Big 12. Hate it. Should've been better. I do believe we would've won at least one game in both the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. We would've been a tough, tough out. But, the talent is there to do so much better. We're loaded for bare in 2020-'21. It what we've always wanted...a five-star McDonald's All-American, surrounded by four-stars like Derek Culver, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Isaiah Cottrell, Jaylen Bridges, next level talent Miles McBride, and a next-level shooter like Sean McNeil and/or Taz Sherman. We're going to be tough as hell. It will be interesting to see how personnel will be managed.
1. The last ten minutes of the season showed us what we could be. Trailing #3 Baylor by 3, 10:49 to go in the game, Derek Culver turned the ball over. Huggins pulled Culver immediately and inserted Jermaine Haley into the game. Our team on the floor was now Miles McBride, Sean McNeil, Emmitt Matthews Jr. & Oscar Tshiebwe. We proceeded to run Baylor off of the court over the next 10 minutes, outscoring them by 15 over that time frame. The floor spacing was incredible. No one on Baylor could check Oscar. Emmitt Matthews was attacking with aggression, ditto Jermaine Haley. Sean McNeil was dragging his defender around the court like a satellite. Miles McBride had a thunder dunk that brought down the house. The ball was moving. It was electric.
2. Correspondingly, I believe the 2-Big lineup was a failure. Certainly, it worked early on...but once the tape was out, Big 12 teams adjusted. It became easy to stop. Do you think Bob Huggins agrees? Or, do you think Huggins is Rich Rodriguez facing South Florida...he knows they have the antidote and his only response is to keep calling the same number and hope to break through? I have the feeling that Bob Huggins believes he can play 2-Big "big boy" basketball again next year, and we'll just perhaps be better at it. I don't believe those last ten minutes vs. Baylor was any sort of revelation. I do think you were going to see more 3-guard lineups in the Big 12 Tournament, and the Big Dance. You'd probably see more of McBride-McNeil-Sherman. But, I just can't get myself to believe that Bob Huggins thinks he perhaps made a tactical error jamming the lane with Oscar & Derek all season, inhibiting our ability to score.
3. Emmitt Matthews Jr. I still believe this kid could be something special. But, he won't be if he is the starting "3" next year, with Derek at 4 and Oscar at 5. It is his kyptonite. There's no room to slash. There's no transition, where he thrives. He is essentially boxed in as a spot-shooter. And, that's not his game. Matthews is at his best in transition. He needs to run, and he needs wide open spaces like the last ten minutes vs. Baylor. Then, you see a different guy. He can take defenders off the bounce and throw down. He just needs the right ingredients on the floor to cook his recipe. And, he's been given the wrong grocery list. If our lineup next year mirrors the last ten minutes vs. Baylor - say, McBride-McNeil-Bridges-Matthews-Oscar....Matthews could end up having a team MVP season.
4. Sophomore slump for Jordan McCabe. McCabe became a bit of a pariah around here this year. It reminded me a lot of the disdain we witnessed for Nate Adrian his sophomore year. Here's what we know: McCabe can perform at a high level against Big 12 competition, if given the opportunity. He did it as a true freshman. 25 points & 12 assists vs. TCU, 18 points, 6 steals including 5/6 from "3" vs. Iowa State, there were other impressive showings. But, obviously, something was off this year. His shot was broke. He seemed to be looking over his shoulder for the quick hook. He wasn't playing free. But, he is the one true point guard, floor general type that we have. And, I would not be surprised if he starts again at point next season. A little prediction>>> McCabe is going to come back next year ripping nets and playing well. He is a worker bee. He's conscientious. He knows he let people down. He's going to work his tail off and come back with a vengeance in the Fall. Yes, Miles McBride has the bigger upside -- but McCabe could definitely be a Davide Moretti type for WVU.
5. Miles McBride is going to be something special. I haven't seen a true freshman guard at WVU with a more impressive freshman campaign since Mike Boyd. McBride's performance down the stretch vs. Northern Iowa was nothing short of sensational, and was the eye-opener. His performance vs. Ohio State was proof positive that he was ready for the big stage. His run down and block of Devin Dotson vs. KU in the Coliseum was next-level stuff. Huggins did not let WVU be a guard-oriented team this year because of Big Boy Ball. But, next season? There's a chance that the reigns are taken off of McBride and he becomes The Man at WVU. Oscar Tshiebwe will garner the preseason accolades and attention, and with good reason. But, when the chips are down next year, the ball will be in McBride's hands. Get used to it. By the time he's done here, he'll likely be another Junkyard Dog type legend. Huge upside. Unclog the lane, let Sean McNeil ride next to him, and let him loose.
High Point? Tie between the Baylor victory and beating Ohio State in Ohio. The latter never gets old.
Low Point? February.
MVP? Miles McBride
WTF Moment: The Knapper-Harler-Haley-Osabuohien-Routt lineup during the final few minutes of the first half at Oklahoma that got pummeled.
Moment of Pride: Miles McBride's one-man comeback vs. Northern Iowa
Conclusion: A good season, but frustrating nonetheless. I hate 9-9 in the Big 12. Hate it. Should've been better. I do believe we would've won at least one game in both the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. We would've been a tough, tough out. But, the talent is there to do so much better. We're loaded for bare in 2020-'21. It what we've always wanted...a five-star McDonald's All-American, surrounded by four-stars like Derek Culver, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Isaiah Cottrell, Jaylen Bridges, next level talent Miles McBride, and a next-level shooter like Sean McNeil and/or Taz Sherman. We're going to be tough as hell. It will be interesting to see how personnel will be managed.
