--West Virginia has now won six in a row in the Backyard Brawl with the Mountaineers surging ahead late in the first half and never really being challenged in the second. It’s hard to take a lot away from this game with the foul trouble by the Panthers and many of their key players being out for extended periods of time, but West Virginia did what it needed to do on the road for its second win of the season. This game was tied at 26-all, before the Mountaineers used a 30-14 run to essentially seize control and never really look back against a Panthers team that struggled to really string things together. The Mountaineers led for all but 2:50 in this game. It was a complete domination.
--West Virginia forced 19 turnovers after forcing 17 in the opener. The Mountaineers held the Panthers to 5-23 from three-point range and were able to frustrate them in the half court as well. Yes, there were some open looks as you typically get against the Mountaineers extended defense, but there was a solid job challenging opening shooters and making things tough.
--On the West Virginia side it was sloppy in the first half with 9 turnovers, but the Mountaineers only had 2 in the second and really completely took control of the game. Liked to see the offense generate some baskets against a number of different defenses the Panthers used and even solve the zone. You’ll take 1.191 points per possession on the road against your rival. Even more so when there’s ball movement with 14 assists on the 30 made baskets. The Mountaineers shot 65-percent at the half and finished the game shooting 53-percent from the floor.
--I’m not quite sure Tre Mitchell is all the way back yet, but he is good. Very good. Mitchell has the ability to extend the defense, put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. He finished this game with only 8 points on 3-5 shooting but also had 6 rebounds and hit some big shots early. It’s going to be exciting to see how his role continues to grow as he works his way back.
--Emmitt Matthews continued to be an all-around factor. He has definitely improved his overall game and while he finished with a modest 10 points, he was +26 on the floor. I’d like to see him be more aggressive at times, but again there is a lot to like here.
--Liked the way that Joe Toussaint handled himself in the opener but was even more impressive in this one showing his ability to score the basketball. He doesn’t seem bashful when it comes to shooting the ball and displays the ability to get to the rim and finish with how fast he is with the ball. He finished with 18 points on 5-11 shooting but also had 5 of the team’s 14 assists in the contest. He can get into the lane and finish, while showing an ability to also step out and hit some open looks. He was +27 and was a real catalyst.
--Senior guard Kedrian Johnson always brings it on the defensive end, but getting 7 points out of him including the steal and finish before the half is always a bonus. Those two are making a pretty solid combination at the point guard spot. Johnson had 4 assists in this one.
--The point guards finished with 9 assists and 3 turnovers. That’ll do.
--Guard Erik Stevenson got things started with a triple off the tip-off and finished with a workman 16 points on 7-12 shooting. Made some mistakes with some decision making, but got in position multiple times to draw charges and create havoc for the Panthers. He works hard on the defensive end and is just a prototypical effort type player that Bob Huggins has had a lot of success with over the years.
--Through two games, Mohamed Wague is just fun to watch. He gives a ton of effort on both ends of the floor and is becoming a reliable finisher around the rim off rebounds and close attempts. He is agile and has good feet. The good news is that he still has a lot of room to grow and there’s a lot to like moving forward. He finishes at the rim, which at times has just been a problem over the past few years. He finished with game with 11 points on 5-5 shooting in only 11 minutes.
--West Virginia won the rebounding edge 30-27.
--Again, this is a basketball team that’s going to rely on a lot of different scorers. The Mountaineers won the bench point battle 42-10. A total of 10 different West Virginia players scored and four different players finished with double figures.
--Officiating was a mess. A lot of stoppages in this game, fouls away from the ball and everything else. It’s the one part of college basketball that is exhausting at times.
--West Virginia is now sitting at 2-0 and it’s always a good thing to beat your rival on the road. The Mountaineers will now play host to Morehead State and have a solid chance to move to 3-0 with that tournament out west coming up shortly. Take care of what you can control.
--West Virginia forced 19 turnovers after forcing 17 in the opener. The Mountaineers held the Panthers to 5-23 from three-point range and were able to frustrate them in the half court as well. Yes, there were some open looks as you typically get against the Mountaineers extended defense, but there was a solid job challenging opening shooters and making things tough.
--On the West Virginia side it was sloppy in the first half with 9 turnovers, but the Mountaineers only had 2 in the second and really completely took control of the game. Liked to see the offense generate some baskets against a number of different defenses the Panthers used and even solve the zone. You’ll take 1.191 points per possession on the road against your rival. Even more so when there’s ball movement with 14 assists on the 30 made baskets. The Mountaineers shot 65-percent at the half and finished the game shooting 53-percent from the floor.
--I’m not quite sure Tre Mitchell is all the way back yet, but he is good. Very good. Mitchell has the ability to extend the defense, put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. He finished this game with only 8 points on 3-5 shooting but also had 6 rebounds and hit some big shots early. It’s going to be exciting to see how his role continues to grow as he works his way back.
--Emmitt Matthews continued to be an all-around factor. He has definitely improved his overall game and while he finished with a modest 10 points, he was +26 on the floor. I’d like to see him be more aggressive at times, but again there is a lot to like here.
--Liked the way that Joe Toussaint handled himself in the opener but was even more impressive in this one showing his ability to score the basketball. He doesn’t seem bashful when it comes to shooting the ball and displays the ability to get to the rim and finish with how fast he is with the ball. He finished with 18 points on 5-11 shooting but also had 5 of the team’s 14 assists in the contest. He can get into the lane and finish, while showing an ability to also step out and hit some open looks. He was +27 and was a real catalyst.
--Senior guard Kedrian Johnson always brings it on the defensive end, but getting 7 points out of him including the steal and finish before the half is always a bonus. Those two are making a pretty solid combination at the point guard spot. Johnson had 4 assists in this one.
--The point guards finished with 9 assists and 3 turnovers. That’ll do.
--Guard Erik Stevenson got things started with a triple off the tip-off and finished with a workman 16 points on 7-12 shooting. Made some mistakes with some decision making, but got in position multiple times to draw charges and create havoc for the Panthers. He works hard on the defensive end and is just a prototypical effort type player that Bob Huggins has had a lot of success with over the years.
--Through two games, Mohamed Wague is just fun to watch. He gives a ton of effort on both ends of the floor and is becoming a reliable finisher around the rim off rebounds and close attempts. He is agile and has good feet. The good news is that he still has a lot of room to grow and there’s a lot to like moving forward. He finishes at the rim, which at times has just been a problem over the past few years. He finished with game with 11 points on 5-5 shooting in only 11 minutes.
--West Virginia won the rebounding edge 30-27.
--Again, this is a basketball team that’s going to rely on a lot of different scorers. The Mountaineers won the bench point battle 42-10. A total of 10 different West Virginia players scored and four different players finished with double figures.
--Officiating was a mess. A lot of stoppages in this game, fouls away from the ball and everything else. It’s the one part of college basketball that is exhausting at times.
--West Virginia is now sitting at 2-0 and it’s always a good thing to beat your rival on the road. The Mountaineers will now play host to Morehead State and have a solid chance to move to 3-0 with that tournament out west coming up shortly. Take care of what you can control.
