–This game was a dogfight but this West Virginia basketball team again showed the toughness and grit to come out with a win on the road against a Colorado team that played hard today. This felt like a must win at this stage of the season with what is coming up on the schedule and despite some serious foul trouble with a short bench, the Mountaineers were able to make just enough plays to get out with a 78-70 win and record a 3-1 start in the Big 12 Conference.
–At this point we have just come to expect what Javon Small is doing on a nightly basis but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Small played 38 minutes and had to carry the load for a lot of this game and responded with 26 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and only 1 turnover. He has such good control of the game and that step back he has is basically unguardable. Small hit three consecutive threes in the second half and while the technical foul was silly, he is just playing at such a high level.
–West Virginia doesn’t win this game without Joe Yesufu. The senior guard made some timely baskets and when the offense seemed to be stuck in the mud hit some big shots and was aggressive getting to the rim. He had 18 points, a season high, and was 6-9 from the field. He also only had one turnover and his ability to get to the rim was critical.
–I don’t think Jonathan Powell has taken an off-balance shot all year. He is always ready to go on the catch and really seems like his confidence is at an all-time high. He scored 10 points, all in the first half, but seemed to struggle some in the second. Still, West Virginia needs him to score right now.
–Toby Okani was 0-5 from the foul line and only scored 2 points, but is so critical to this team with his effort and versatility on the defensive end of the floor. His offensive rebound on the missed free throw by Javon Small late in the game shows exactly the type of things he does to help this team win. He was +15 overall for the Mountaineers which led the team.
–West Virginia continues to get good minutes from Eduardo Andre. He was +10 in his 23 minutes on the floor and really good cooking rolling to the rim. He was 5-5 from the field and finished with 12 points and 5 steals. He also had 4 rebounds and an assist and didn’t turn the ball over. He struggled some against Arizona, but then again who didn’t on the team? But overall has given West Virginia a different level of play since he’s become the starter for this team.
–This game was a nightmare with the whistle in the second half. Colorado went 6:58 without making a field goal and turned a 52-43 deficit into a 59-57 one when they made their next basket at 7:29. The Buffaloes were in the bonus at the 13:22 mark and shot a total of 28 free throws in the second half. The totals evened out some at the end with Colorado being forced to foul but at times this felt like it was two different games on each end of the floor. Perhaps the most ridiculous of the entire game was the foul that sent Sencire Harris to the bench with his fifth foul. Now, early in the half some of that was a product of West Virginia settling for threes but it was just a difficult game to watch. But still the Mountaineers were able to overcome that with a short bench, injuries and a bad whistle.
–West Virginia forced 11 turnovers in the first half and turned that into 12 points. It was the difference in the 40-29 halftime lead but in the second half the Mountaineers had forced just three turnovers and had 0 points in that department. Some of that was Colorado getting into a groove offensively, but it was definitely quite a shift from one half to the next.
–On the flip side, West Virginia only turned the ball over seven times and that led to just 2 points for Colorado. Take care of the basketball and rebound which was a -5 deficit has been a formula for success for this team throughout the course of this year.
–Again, West Virginia seemed to really bog down offensively at times in this game and overall the ball movement wasn’t as good as it’s been at times. The Mountaineers only had 9 assists on 25 made baskets and at times it felt like the offense was to slow it down and try to let somebody make a play with the shot clock running down. That didn’t help Colorado cutting into the lead. The Mountaineers also really seemed to struggle with the press that the Buffaloes were throwing at them at times although when they pushed it and Yesufu finished at the rim was likely the play of the game.
–Mountaineers won the points in the paint battle 32-26.
–West Virginia only played eight players in this game and one of those was walk-on Jake Auer, who Colorado went after on a few possessions in a row. The Mountaineers need to get some guys back in the worst way just to help this team manage.
–Life in the Big 12 comes at you fast and now West Virginia will stay on the road at Houston before hosting Iowa State. Those two teams are 8-0 in the league and are two of the best in the country. That made this game critical and it’s important that the Mountaineers got this one.
–At this point we have just come to expect what Javon Small is doing on a nightly basis but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Small played 38 minutes and had to carry the load for a lot of this game and responded with 26 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and only 1 turnover. He has such good control of the game and that step back he has is basically unguardable. Small hit three consecutive threes in the second half and while the technical foul was silly, he is just playing at such a high level.
–West Virginia doesn’t win this game without Joe Yesufu. The senior guard made some timely baskets and when the offense seemed to be stuck in the mud hit some big shots and was aggressive getting to the rim. He had 18 points, a season high, and was 6-9 from the field. He also only had one turnover and his ability to get to the rim was critical.
–I don’t think Jonathan Powell has taken an off-balance shot all year. He is always ready to go on the catch and really seems like his confidence is at an all-time high. He scored 10 points, all in the first half, but seemed to struggle some in the second. Still, West Virginia needs him to score right now.
–Toby Okani was 0-5 from the foul line and only scored 2 points, but is so critical to this team with his effort and versatility on the defensive end of the floor. His offensive rebound on the missed free throw by Javon Small late in the game shows exactly the type of things he does to help this team win. He was +15 overall for the Mountaineers which led the team.
–West Virginia continues to get good minutes from Eduardo Andre. He was +10 in his 23 minutes on the floor and really good cooking rolling to the rim. He was 5-5 from the field and finished with 12 points and 5 steals. He also had 4 rebounds and an assist and didn’t turn the ball over. He struggled some against Arizona, but then again who didn’t on the team? But overall has given West Virginia a different level of play since he’s become the starter for this team.
–This game was a nightmare with the whistle in the second half. Colorado went 6:58 without making a field goal and turned a 52-43 deficit into a 59-57 one when they made their next basket at 7:29. The Buffaloes were in the bonus at the 13:22 mark and shot a total of 28 free throws in the second half. The totals evened out some at the end with Colorado being forced to foul but at times this felt like it was two different games on each end of the floor. Perhaps the most ridiculous of the entire game was the foul that sent Sencire Harris to the bench with his fifth foul. Now, early in the half some of that was a product of West Virginia settling for threes but it was just a difficult game to watch. But still the Mountaineers were able to overcome that with a short bench, injuries and a bad whistle.
–West Virginia forced 11 turnovers in the first half and turned that into 12 points. It was the difference in the 40-29 halftime lead but in the second half the Mountaineers had forced just three turnovers and had 0 points in that department. Some of that was Colorado getting into a groove offensively, but it was definitely quite a shift from one half to the next.
–On the flip side, West Virginia only turned the ball over seven times and that led to just 2 points for Colorado. Take care of the basketball and rebound which was a -5 deficit has been a formula for success for this team throughout the course of this year.
–Again, West Virginia seemed to really bog down offensively at times in this game and overall the ball movement wasn’t as good as it’s been at times. The Mountaineers only had 9 assists on 25 made baskets and at times it felt like the offense was to slow it down and try to let somebody make a play with the shot clock running down. That didn’t help Colorado cutting into the lead. The Mountaineers also really seemed to struggle with the press that the Buffaloes were throwing at them at times although when they pushed it and Yesufu finished at the rim was likely the play of the game.
–Mountaineers won the points in the paint battle 32-26.
–West Virginia only played eight players in this game and one of those was walk-on Jake Auer, who Colorado went after on a few possessions in a row. The Mountaineers need to get some guys back in the worst way just to help this team manage.
–Life in the Big 12 comes at you fast and now West Virginia will stay on the road at Houston before hosting Iowa State. Those two teams are 8-0 in the league and are two of the best in the country. That made this game critical and it’s important that the Mountaineers got this one.
