--That's exactly what West Virginia needed after a three-game skid where they lost to Arizona State, at Kansas State and against Houston as the Mountaineers were able to race out to an early lead on a 20-5 run and really kept things pretty uninteresting outside of a late run by the Bearcats. West Virginia simply looked like they wanted this one more and just seemed to play with more effort and energy throughout while they really got after the Bearcats on defense, albeit that is a team that is struggling on offense.
--West Virginia avoided starting slow which has plagued this team in the past three losses averaging just 20 points over that span. Today they had 40 points in the first half.
--Cincinnati is kind of a mess offensively, but West Virginia really made it even more difficult on them. The Bearcats shot just 31-percent from the floor and had 14 turnovers, but 12 of those were steals. At one point before their final run, they had more turnovers than made baskets. The Mountaineers had 20 points off turnovers in this one. They also had 7 blocks.
--Javon Small did Javon Small things. He had almost a quiet 19 points, if that's possible, on 6-14 shooting with 9 assists and played 36 minutes. I was heavily encouraged that when he did get a breather in the first half the Mountaineers actually were able to outscore the Bearcats and extend the lead. Still, the recipe is the game Small is going to do a lot for this team but he needs those around him to step up like they did today and deliver.
--Again, I just can't figure out senior guard Joe Yesufu. West Virginia doesn't win the Colorado game without him for sure and they don't win this one either. He played a total of 15 minutes and turned that into 16 points on 6-6 shooting with 4 rebounds, including some massive baskets at times. His back-to-back threes in the second half felt like a dagger, while his three right before halftime was another momentum crusher for the Bearcats. In the other Sunday Big 12 game against Colorado, Yesufu scored 18 points on 6-9 shooting and has just 22 points in the other Big 12 games combined. The Mountaineers have to have some others step up and score and he certainly delivered today.
--Amani Hansberry had an up and down game at times but he finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. The Mountaineers are a better team when he's hitting shots and he needs to be able to finish around the rim when he gets it there, but I really liked how active he was on the glass. Eduardo Andre also was active as usual with two blocks and a steal and while he finished with 5 points just missed a few closes finishes.
--Was great to see Jonathan Powell step up and hit some shots in this one. He finished with 7 points on 3-5 shooting and got a three-ball to go down. The true freshman continues to play big minutes and they need him to contribute when he's on the floor.
--Toby Okani left late with an injury and quite frankly this team can't take another. He's just such a versatile piece and today was aggressive getting some shots around the rim.
--Sencire Harris didn't score and he continues to really struggle shooting threes and from mid-range, but he still does so much for this team in other areas. He had 4 steals today and is so good on the defensive end. He was +9 and also contributed a block, three rebounds and more. Also felt KJ Tenner gave some good minutes today even without scoring.
--The rebounding edge was just -2 but it felt like more because Cincinnati had 12 on the offensive end. Now, that only led to 10 second chance points but the Mountaineers have to do a better job cleaning up on the defensive glass (yeah, that's been the case all year).
--Really good crew today in my opinion and had good control of the game and the flow.
--Now at 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, West Virginia obviously still has work to do. Still, getting that three-game slide off their backs has to get good and doing on the road even better. The Mountaineers will next head to TCU Wednesday and then hosts Utah Saturday with a chance to potentially get to 16 wins and really put themselves in a good place with just eight regular season games remaining after next week and then the conference tournament. The Mountaineers need all the wins they can stack and it always feels good to go on the road and come out with one.
--West Virginia avoided starting slow which has plagued this team in the past three losses averaging just 20 points over that span. Today they had 40 points in the first half.
--Cincinnati is kind of a mess offensively, but West Virginia really made it even more difficult on them. The Bearcats shot just 31-percent from the floor and had 14 turnovers, but 12 of those were steals. At one point before their final run, they had more turnovers than made baskets. The Mountaineers had 20 points off turnovers in this one. They also had 7 blocks.
--Javon Small did Javon Small things. He had almost a quiet 19 points, if that's possible, on 6-14 shooting with 9 assists and played 36 minutes. I was heavily encouraged that when he did get a breather in the first half the Mountaineers actually were able to outscore the Bearcats and extend the lead. Still, the recipe is the game Small is going to do a lot for this team but he needs those around him to step up like they did today and deliver.
--Again, I just can't figure out senior guard Joe Yesufu. West Virginia doesn't win the Colorado game without him for sure and they don't win this one either. He played a total of 15 minutes and turned that into 16 points on 6-6 shooting with 4 rebounds, including some massive baskets at times. His back-to-back threes in the second half felt like a dagger, while his three right before halftime was another momentum crusher for the Bearcats. In the other Sunday Big 12 game against Colorado, Yesufu scored 18 points on 6-9 shooting and has just 22 points in the other Big 12 games combined. The Mountaineers have to have some others step up and score and he certainly delivered today.
--Amani Hansberry had an up and down game at times but he finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. The Mountaineers are a better team when he's hitting shots and he needs to be able to finish around the rim when he gets it there, but I really liked how active he was on the glass. Eduardo Andre also was active as usual with two blocks and a steal and while he finished with 5 points just missed a few closes finishes.
--Was great to see Jonathan Powell step up and hit some shots in this one. He finished with 7 points on 3-5 shooting and got a three-ball to go down. The true freshman continues to play big minutes and they need him to contribute when he's on the floor.
--Toby Okani left late with an injury and quite frankly this team can't take another. He's just such a versatile piece and today was aggressive getting some shots around the rim.
--Sencire Harris didn't score and he continues to really struggle shooting threes and from mid-range, but he still does so much for this team in other areas. He had 4 steals today and is so good on the defensive end. He was +9 and also contributed a block, three rebounds and more. Also felt KJ Tenner gave some good minutes today even without scoring.
--The rebounding edge was just -2 but it felt like more because Cincinnati had 12 on the offensive end. Now, that only led to 10 second chance points but the Mountaineers have to do a better job cleaning up on the defensive glass (yeah, that's been the case all year).
--Really good crew today in my opinion and had good control of the game and the flow.
--Now at 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, West Virginia obviously still has work to do. Still, getting that three-game slide off their backs has to get good and doing on the road even better. The Mountaineers will next head to TCU Wednesday and then hosts Utah Saturday with a chance to potentially get to 16 wins and really put themselves in a good place with just eight regular season games remaining after next week and then the conference tournament. The Mountaineers need all the wins they can stack and it always feels good to go on the road and come out with one.
