--Let me start by saying that I always thought this was going to be a very difficult matchup and game for West Virginia to win, but right now the Mountaineers simply seem completely out of sorts. This team continued to struggle on the offensive end of the floor and the Hogs led this game from start to finish. Outside of a 12-0 run in the second half, the Mountaineers never really made much of a push in this one. West Virginia is now 2-7 all-time in the Challenge and this team now is sitting with 5 consecutive losses and a loaded schedule ahead of them. This season is teetering in the wrong direction fast.
--Again, this team didn't quit. They battled back down 19, but it wasn't enough. We can discuss how they got behind all day, but they didn't give up yet again. That's at least encouraging.
--Anytime West Virginia did get some momentum they sent Arkansas to the foul line. Yes, we can argue that this game was called -tight- but at some point you have to adjust. The Razorbacks were able to stay afloat when they were hitting shots at the foul line and made 28-34. They were +13 over West Virginia in attempts from that area and that made a difference in this one.
--West Virginia was destroyed on the glass in this one with Arkansas at +18. This continue to be an issue and it isn’t some major surprise that it was in this one as well.
--On the bright side, West Virginia did have 9 assists in this one on 23 made baskets. But that’s only a bright side because of how poorly this team has moved the ball of late. Things are still breaking down too much and there’s too much dribbling and not enough moving the basketball.
--Senior guard Kedrian Johnson hit a career-high 18-points and West Virginia still never really challenged to win this game. That’s twice in a row after senior forward Gabe Osabuohien gave the Mountaineers a career-high 17-points against Oklahoma that they got that type of offensive production from an unexpected spot and still lost the game going away. I feel like that shouldn’t happen.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman finished with 15 points, but again there was a lot left to be desired all-around here. For whatever reason and I understand that Sherman has been battling some injuries, but he hasn’t been able to take over games offensively as he did earlier in the year since he returned from COVID-19. He has looked better at times, but this team almost has to have him score the ball.
--Senior guard Sean McNeil has now scored 7 points in three consecutive games while shooting 6-24 from the field. Teams have made it tough on McNeil to get open or clean looks but the Mountaineers are going to have to do something to get him open to score. This team isn’t beating anybody without McNeil playing a bigger role offensively than what he’s doing right now.
--Thought senior center Dimon Carrigan gave West Virginia some really good minutes in this one. He is limited offensively but is a much better defensive presence than some of the other options and was +4 in his 22 minutes. He finished with 3 blocks in this game.
--Senior guard Malik Curry scored 11 points and was able to get to the rim at times, but this wasn’t one of his best efforts. He took some bad shots in this one and again seemed a little out of control.
--I understand redshirt sophomore big Isaiah Cottrell is playing out of position but this was another tough, tough game for him. Right now, Cottrell isn’t doing a lot out there to help this basketball team and isn’t even making shots at this stage. He only played 13 minutes and I hate to seem like I’m picking on him but right now he’s had as rough of a stretch as I can remember.
--Bless him and senior forward Gabe Osabuohien tries but he can only do so much with what he brings to the table. He played 13 minutes and was at +4 with 7 points, again showcasing the ability to take the ball to the rim, with 3 rebounds, a block and a steal. He can’t be the vocal point of the offense, but he is showing an ability to score the ball more than he has in the past. The one negative is he has to stay on the court and stop with the silly fouls. The one at the end was borderline ridiculous when he was called for a foul for somebody jumping over him, but several are directly on him.
--Positive is that it’s good to see redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Bridges with 6 rebounds, but the bad news is that was the team leader. It has been encouraging to see how active Bridges has been in that department of late though with 7 rebounds per game over the last five. Shots weren’t falling though as he had some good looks that simply didn’t stop.
--West Virginia did make layups at 9-13 close to the rim.
--West Virginia has now lost five straight and at 13-7 this is the first time all season that the Mountaineers might find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble in NCAA Bracket projections this week. This team has to find a way to win some games and that isn’t going to be easy with Baylor up next. Regardless, with the losses piling up and the frustration mounting we’re in a danger zone right now of this season spiraling out of control unless this team can find a way to stop the bleeding. That’s going to be on them and the players seem optimistic that can occur, but time is ticking here and there isn’t a lot of margin for error left with what’s remaining on the schedule.
--Again, this team didn't quit. They battled back down 19, but it wasn't enough. We can discuss how they got behind all day, but they didn't give up yet again. That's at least encouraging.
--Anytime West Virginia did get some momentum they sent Arkansas to the foul line. Yes, we can argue that this game was called -tight- but at some point you have to adjust. The Razorbacks were able to stay afloat when they were hitting shots at the foul line and made 28-34. They were +13 over West Virginia in attempts from that area and that made a difference in this one.
--West Virginia was destroyed on the glass in this one with Arkansas at +18. This continue to be an issue and it isn’t some major surprise that it was in this one as well.
--On the bright side, West Virginia did have 9 assists in this one on 23 made baskets. But that’s only a bright side because of how poorly this team has moved the ball of late. Things are still breaking down too much and there’s too much dribbling and not enough moving the basketball.
--Senior guard Kedrian Johnson hit a career-high 18-points and West Virginia still never really challenged to win this game. That’s twice in a row after senior forward Gabe Osabuohien gave the Mountaineers a career-high 17-points against Oklahoma that they got that type of offensive production from an unexpected spot and still lost the game going away. I feel like that shouldn’t happen.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman finished with 15 points, but again there was a lot left to be desired all-around here. For whatever reason and I understand that Sherman has been battling some injuries, but he hasn’t been able to take over games offensively as he did earlier in the year since he returned from COVID-19. He has looked better at times, but this team almost has to have him score the ball.
--Senior guard Sean McNeil has now scored 7 points in three consecutive games while shooting 6-24 from the field. Teams have made it tough on McNeil to get open or clean looks but the Mountaineers are going to have to do something to get him open to score. This team isn’t beating anybody without McNeil playing a bigger role offensively than what he’s doing right now.
--Thought senior center Dimon Carrigan gave West Virginia some really good minutes in this one. He is limited offensively but is a much better defensive presence than some of the other options and was +4 in his 22 minutes. He finished with 3 blocks in this game.
--Senior guard Malik Curry scored 11 points and was able to get to the rim at times, but this wasn’t one of his best efforts. He took some bad shots in this one and again seemed a little out of control.
--I understand redshirt sophomore big Isaiah Cottrell is playing out of position but this was another tough, tough game for him. Right now, Cottrell isn’t doing a lot out there to help this basketball team and isn’t even making shots at this stage. He only played 13 minutes and I hate to seem like I’m picking on him but right now he’s had as rough of a stretch as I can remember.
--Bless him and senior forward Gabe Osabuohien tries but he can only do so much with what he brings to the table. He played 13 minutes and was at +4 with 7 points, again showcasing the ability to take the ball to the rim, with 3 rebounds, a block and a steal. He can’t be the vocal point of the offense, but he is showing an ability to score the ball more than he has in the past. The one negative is he has to stay on the court and stop with the silly fouls. The one at the end was borderline ridiculous when he was called for a foul for somebody jumping over him, but several are directly on him.
--Positive is that it’s good to see redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Bridges with 6 rebounds, but the bad news is that was the team leader. It has been encouraging to see how active Bridges has been in that department of late though with 7 rebounds per game over the last five. Shots weren’t falling though as he had some good looks that simply didn’t stop.
--West Virginia did make layups at 9-13 close to the rim.
--West Virginia has now lost five straight and at 13-7 this is the first time all season that the Mountaineers might find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble in NCAA Bracket projections this week. This team has to find a way to win some games and that isn’t going to be easy with Baylor up next. Regardless, with the losses piling up and the frustration mounting we’re in a danger zone right now of this season spiraling out of control unless this team can find a way to stop the bleeding. That’s going to be on them and the players seem optimistic that can occur, but time is ticking here and there isn’t a lot of margin for error left with what’s remaining on the schedule.
