--West Virginia led by as many as 15-points in the second half but if this team is one thing it’s consistent when it comes to making things interesting. The Cyclones rallied late and made this one a nail biter as the Mountaineers didn’t make a field goal over the final 5:46 of the game but was still able to hold on for a 76-72 win. It’s exactly the type of response this team needed on the road after the let down at Florida, and while you’re not going to get away with those type of droughts against a better basketball team, you’re not going to apologize for finding a way to get this one done either. I think it’s clear now this team has issues putting people away and that is especially true when it comes to getting stops on the defensive end of the floor. It didn’t end up costing them tonight, but it has already. Still, sitting at 12-5 and 5-3 in the Big 12 Conference is a good place to be before the Mountaineers embark on an absolutely brutal stretch of six games in a 15-day span.
--Junior Derek Culver didn’t factor into the game as much late with the Cyclones going with a more guard-oriented lineup but he finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes of action. He now has a double-doubles in over half of the Mountaineers 17 games with 9, which leads the Big 12. That is on top of him battling COVID-19 and clearly struggling to get his feet under him. He certainly could improve in some areas, but he has given you a lot in the post this season.
--Iowa State was at 1.139 points per possession in the second half of this one and made 17-33 or 51.5-percent of their shot attempts as well as 55.6-percent of their 9 three-pointers. It is simply too easy to get the ball to the middle of the floor right now and kick it out to an open shooter. The Mountaineers are going to have to make some adjustments because teams are getting either shots at the rim or wide open step in shots over and over. It was no different tonight for the Cyclones.
--West Virginia only attempted 19 threes in this one, around 31-percent of their total shots, which is lower than the around 40-percent we’ve seen since the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe in six games. Still, they were productive from deep hitting seven of those for a 37-percent clip.
--West Virginia was +13 on the glass in this one and had 15 offensive rebounds. That will make Bob Huggins a little happier than he’s been when it comes to that department.
--Really liked what we saw out of junior guard Jordan McCabe early but he only played 11 minutes in the first half with the Mountaineers +10 when he was on the floor. That was only +2 in 11 minutes in the second half but it was a good bounce back for him after being non-existent late against Florida. When he is confident and seeing the floor he can be an asset for this team.
--It’s not that this is a bad free-throw shooting team as they again hit 70-percent, or 17-24, it’s more of a when this team decides to miss them. In late game situations or the front end of one-and-ones for example. Credit to senior guard Taz Sherman in this one for knocking down two late to put the game away and even before that making three more after getting fouled on a triple.
--Sherman scored 18 points in this one and was 5-7 from the field but had some real lapses at the defensive end. It wasn’t just him by any means and they don’t win this game without him but the defense as a whole on this team has to get better.
--Junior guard Sean McNeil is now 11-25 from three over the last three games. That is a big lift over what he had been giving the team when it comes to consistency. He hit some big shots in this one early to create some space, and was second on the team at +11.
--Senior Gabe Osabuohien has kind of been a duck out of water since the move to the new look style but he continues to make an impact on these games. He took a critical charge that wasn’t called to ice the game, got an offensive rebound and blocked a shot just to name a few of his contributions. He didn’t score a point and was at +7 for the game. He is a good defensive player and while he limits you offensively, he finds a way to impact the game almost every time out.
--Junior Emmitt Matthews finished with 13 points and had arguably the dunk of the year. When he’s aggressive he can put up points and while he has some shortcomings him providing a spark is going to help this team find success moving forward.
--West Virginia was 8-11 on layups and dunks. You’ll take that considering the adventure that has been at times over the course of this season.
--The Mountaineers recorded 12 steals. The Mountaineers have hit that twice (Kansas State) since the pause ended but has only done it one other time this year against Northeastern.
--Freshman Seny Ndiaye didn’t score, but he definitely gave West Virginia some great minutes in-place of Derek Culver. He played six and the Mountaineers were able to stretch the lead.
--Big game Saturday for obvious reasons. Kansas is struggling and West Virginia has a chance to really put itself in the mix in the upper tier of this league. Nothing will be easy over the next six as it is as brutal of a schedule as I’ve seen since I’ve been covering the team. Take it one game at a time and the Jayhawks are up first with a chance for redemption after an early loss.
--Junior Derek Culver didn’t factor into the game as much late with the Cyclones going with a more guard-oriented lineup but he finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes of action. He now has a double-doubles in over half of the Mountaineers 17 games with 9, which leads the Big 12. That is on top of him battling COVID-19 and clearly struggling to get his feet under him. He certainly could improve in some areas, but he has given you a lot in the post this season.
--Iowa State was at 1.139 points per possession in the second half of this one and made 17-33 or 51.5-percent of their shot attempts as well as 55.6-percent of their 9 three-pointers. It is simply too easy to get the ball to the middle of the floor right now and kick it out to an open shooter. The Mountaineers are going to have to make some adjustments because teams are getting either shots at the rim or wide open step in shots over and over. It was no different tonight for the Cyclones.
--West Virginia only attempted 19 threes in this one, around 31-percent of their total shots, which is lower than the around 40-percent we’ve seen since the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe in six games. Still, they were productive from deep hitting seven of those for a 37-percent clip.
--West Virginia was +13 on the glass in this one and had 15 offensive rebounds. That will make Bob Huggins a little happier than he’s been when it comes to that department.
--Really liked what we saw out of junior guard Jordan McCabe early but he only played 11 minutes in the first half with the Mountaineers +10 when he was on the floor. That was only +2 in 11 minutes in the second half but it was a good bounce back for him after being non-existent late against Florida. When he is confident and seeing the floor he can be an asset for this team.
--It’s not that this is a bad free-throw shooting team as they again hit 70-percent, or 17-24, it’s more of a when this team decides to miss them. In late game situations or the front end of one-and-ones for example. Credit to senior guard Taz Sherman in this one for knocking down two late to put the game away and even before that making three more after getting fouled on a triple.
--Sherman scored 18 points in this one and was 5-7 from the field but had some real lapses at the defensive end. It wasn’t just him by any means and they don’t win this game without him but the defense as a whole on this team has to get better.
--Junior guard Sean McNeil is now 11-25 from three over the last three games. That is a big lift over what he had been giving the team when it comes to consistency. He hit some big shots in this one early to create some space, and was second on the team at +11.
--Senior Gabe Osabuohien has kind of been a duck out of water since the move to the new look style but he continues to make an impact on these games. He took a critical charge that wasn’t called to ice the game, got an offensive rebound and blocked a shot just to name a few of his contributions. He didn’t score a point and was at +7 for the game. He is a good defensive player and while he limits you offensively, he finds a way to impact the game almost every time out.
--Junior Emmitt Matthews finished with 13 points and had arguably the dunk of the year. When he’s aggressive he can put up points and while he has some shortcomings him providing a spark is going to help this team find success moving forward.
--West Virginia was 8-11 on layups and dunks. You’ll take that considering the adventure that has been at times over the course of this season.
--The Mountaineers recorded 12 steals. The Mountaineers have hit that twice (Kansas State) since the pause ended but has only done it one other time this year against Northeastern.
--Freshman Seny Ndiaye didn’t score, but he definitely gave West Virginia some great minutes in-place of Derek Culver. He played six and the Mountaineers were able to stretch the lead.
--Big game Saturday for obvious reasons. Kansas is struggling and West Virginia has a chance to really put itself in the mix in the upper tier of this league. Nothing will be easy over the next six as it is as brutal of a schedule as I’ve seen since I’ve been covering the team. Take it one game at a time and the Jayhawks are up first with a chance for redemption after an early loss.
