My Fiver on WVU's loss to Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament...
1. Up 27-14 with 7:45 to go in Half number 1, and WVU scores one bucket over the final almost 8 minutes. Up 46-37 with 9:43 left in the game, WVU would go on one of the worst stretches in the history of Division 1 college basketball, by any team. Over the next 4 minutes+, WVU went 0-0 from the field, 0-0 from the line, scored 0 points, committed 3 fouls and committed 7 turnovers. Folks, I coach a U9 girls basketball team here in No.VA., and I can assure you, my girls would've done better vs. Colorado over that stretch. When it was over and Toby Okani miraculously hit a free throw with 4:50 left in the game, WVU was down 6 and there was no coming back. Just a horrific coaching job by Darian DeVries and staff, and far too many offensive sets where we tried to be too cute, make the perfect pass, and passed up open looks in the process. Sometimes, there's a brilliance to simplicity.
2. Amani Hansberry being stuck in foul trouble pretty much all game didn't help things...but let's be honest, when he played, he wasn't that great either. 0 FG in 20 game minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 4 fouls, 2 TOs.
3. Jevon Small and Darian DeVries talked afterwards about how Colorado went to "floppy" sets on offense, and we were not prepared. DeVries instructed our players not to help on the block, because they kick it out to shooters. The result was Elijah Malone going for 14 points on 7/10 shooting off the bench, just after scoring 3 points vs. TCU. Colorado pretty much got what they wanted in the 2nd half, which is becoming a common theme for WVU. We heap praise upon DeVries, which has been earned at times. But, this game was on him. Colorado looked like they wanted to die early, and we let them up with bad offense to end the half, and then when Colorado made an adjustment to their floppy sets in the 2nd, we had no answer. We were expecting a fastball down the middle, and we kept swinging and missing at their change-ups.
4. Another 2nd half meltdown for WVU. That's three consecutive terrible halves of basketball. We've scored 25-29-31 points over the past 3 halves, while giving up 40 (2nd half UCF), 23, 44 (2nd half Colorado). We've been outscored 107-85 over the past three halves against two relatively bad teams. I have no answer for it, other than to say, I think we're gassed. Short bench, long season, Javon Small is carrying the entire load for the team offensively, and we are so limited offensively we have to leave everything on the floor defensively and it grinds us down. Perhaps it's good that we lost early. We now have some time to rest, recoup, recharge. Hopefully it gives the team some bounce wherever we play next.
5. I felt very good about our NCAA berth...until around 4:30pm yesterday when it became readily apparent we were about to take a bad loss. Now, well, I don't feel so good...I think a play-in game in Dayton could be on the horizon. If we are left out altogether, can we really complain? Really? I mean, looking at the season as a whole, you can make an argument - a compelling one - that WVU deserves an at-large. But, looking at our season from Big 12 play forward...ugh. I don't know. Sunday will be interesting.
Bottom line is Yesterday was extremely disappointing and frustrating as a WVU fan. We should be better than this.
1. Up 27-14 with 7:45 to go in Half number 1, and WVU scores one bucket over the final almost 8 minutes. Up 46-37 with 9:43 left in the game, WVU would go on one of the worst stretches in the history of Division 1 college basketball, by any team. Over the next 4 minutes+, WVU went 0-0 from the field, 0-0 from the line, scored 0 points, committed 3 fouls and committed 7 turnovers. Folks, I coach a U9 girls basketball team here in No.VA., and I can assure you, my girls would've done better vs. Colorado over that stretch. When it was over and Toby Okani miraculously hit a free throw with 4:50 left in the game, WVU was down 6 and there was no coming back. Just a horrific coaching job by Darian DeVries and staff, and far too many offensive sets where we tried to be too cute, make the perfect pass, and passed up open looks in the process. Sometimes, there's a brilliance to simplicity.
2. Amani Hansberry being stuck in foul trouble pretty much all game didn't help things...but let's be honest, when he played, he wasn't that great either. 0 FG in 20 game minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 4 fouls, 2 TOs.
3. Jevon Small and Darian DeVries talked afterwards about how Colorado went to "floppy" sets on offense, and we were not prepared. DeVries instructed our players not to help on the block, because they kick it out to shooters. The result was Elijah Malone going for 14 points on 7/10 shooting off the bench, just after scoring 3 points vs. TCU. Colorado pretty much got what they wanted in the 2nd half, which is becoming a common theme for WVU. We heap praise upon DeVries, which has been earned at times. But, this game was on him. Colorado looked like they wanted to die early, and we let them up with bad offense to end the half, and then when Colorado made an adjustment to their floppy sets in the 2nd, we had no answer. We were expecting a fastball down the middle, and we kept swinging and missing at their change-ups.
4. Another 2nd half meltdown for WVU. That's three consecutive terrible halves of basketball. We've scored 25-29-31 points over the past 3 halves, while giving up 40 (2nd half UCF), 23, 44 (2nd half Colorado). We've been outscored 107-85 over the past three halves against two relatively bad teams. I have no answer for it, other than to say, I think we're gassed. Short bench, long season, Javon Small is carrying the entire load for the team offensively, and we are so limited offensively we have to leave everything on the floor defensively and it grinds us down. Perhaps it's good that we lost early. We now have some time to rest, recoup, recharge. Hopefully it gives the team some bounce wherever we play next.
5. I felt very good about our NCAA berth...until around 4:30pm yesterday when it became readily apparent we were about to take a bad loss. Now, well, I don't feel so good...I think a play-in game in Dayton could be on the horizon. If we are left out altogether, can we really complain? Really? I mean, looking at the season as a whole, you can make an argument - a compelling one - that WVU deserves an at-large. But, looking at our season from Big 12 play forward...ugh. I don't know. Sunday will be interesting.
Bottom line is Yesterday was extremely disappointing and frustrating as a WVU fan. We should be better than this.
