--First of all, what a college basketball game. Yes, it’s unfortunate that West Virginia wasn’t able to pull this one out (more on that later) but this was a battle of two heavyweights just exchanging blow after blow for the better part of this game. The Mountaineers trailed by double-digits and rallied back and then both teams just went at it. It was Final Four level college basketball and was a good showcase of two teams that are certainly equipped to make deep runs in March. For the Mountaineers, this ends any chance of claiming the Big 12 regular season title as that now goes to Baylor. West Virginia still has a lot to play for obviously and they can guarantee a second-place finish if they win the next two at home against TCU and Oklahoma State. Unless you see an epic Big 12 title run on top of that, you can kiss away the thoughts of a possible No. 1 seed, but the Mountaineers are still going to be in good position to make a run at one of those No. 2 seeds as long as they can take care of business down the stretch.
--West Virginia was at 1.271 points per possession and Baylor was at 1.270. Difference is two more turnovers and the fact Baylor got easier shots. The Bears almost missed more layups (9) than West Virginia even attempted (12) and that was a theme in this one.
--West Virginia was 28-32 from the foul line in this game but two of those misses really loomed large. Of course, the misfire by McBride at the end of regulation which kept it a two-point game and allowed Baylor to get an easy basket at the rim to tie it and send it into overtime and then Taz Sherman misfiring on one before hitting the next in overtime, which would be the final point scored by the Mountaineers.
--Baylor just got too many easy baskets and scored off what seemed to be the same play five or six times in this game. The Mountaineers didn’t make the correct rotations and Baylor made them pay for it several times. The Bears had 42 points in the paint and only took 39 two-point attempts in total. So many times, it was just baskets right at the rim with little resistance.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman did it again. Late in the game, he was able to foul out Jared Butler (25 points, 5 assists) on a play that was almost identical to what he did against Texas to get Courtney Ramey out of the game. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t pay off as the Mountaineers would be outscored 6-0 down the stretch run of the game. Sherman was brilliant at times in this one scoring 26 points and hitting 9-14 from the field. He didn’t have the best overtime period outside of that foul drawn, but he was critical hitting shots to keep West Virginia in this one for a large portion of the game.
--Junior guard Sean McNeil was impressive again in this one scoring 18 points with 15 of those coming in the second half. He has an ability to just get started and score points in bunches and it is really fun to watch. I’ve also been really impressed with how he has continued to improve on the defensive end.
--Sophomore Deuce McBride played 40-minutes in this one and looked to be healthy. He scored 19 points, had 8 assists and 4 rebounds. He got an awful call against him in overtime on the charge, but like Bridges he made a fantastic block down the stretch. He’s going to beat himself up for that misfire on the foul line but he bounced back and didn’t seem to have any ill effects.
--I understand a lot of people are going to focus on the mistakes West Virginia made, but give Baylor a lot of credit. After a 21-day layoff and only two games back, they were the team that was getting to every loose ball and made the smart plays down the stretch to find a way to win this one. Mark Vital had 8 rebounds in the game, 5 on the offensive end and it seemed like every single one resulted in points. This is an experienced team, especially in the backcourt, and that mattered down the stretch. I thought that the stretch where Matt Mayer hit the two threes and got to the rim late was critical. He made some key baskets that really kept them afloat especially catching the Mountaineers confused.
--That’s not to say West Virginia certainly didn’t have its share of miscues that led to this defeat. The turnover before the half with 1 second left that Baylor turned into a three-ball moves front and center, using a timeout to start the second half and just turning the ball over at inopportune times all come to mind. The Mountaineers had a lot of chances to win this one and just couldn’t do it.
--Redshirt freshman forward Jalen Bridges scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and recorded a monster block. In the end it didn’t matter but what a fantastic play by the freshman and while he continues to get lost at times on defense, he continues to get better and better. His three-ball to put the Mountaineers ahead 88-86 with the shot clock expiring made you feel like this was just going to be West Virginia’s night. Again, he was active and as he continues to get more comfortable has a lot of upside.
--Junior forward Derek Culver didn’t make a field goal in this game and really struggled on the defensive end. He still finished with 9 points, all from the foul line, and 9 rebounds but overall, the Mountaineers were -26 (!) when he was in the game tonight. Give him credit for going 9-10 from the line, but this certainly wasn't one of his best efforts as the Mountaineers struggled to get him the ball and he put himself out of position a lot.
--The same can’t be said for senior forward Gabe Osabuohien who again didn’t score but led the team at +15 overall. He had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals but again was active and did a good job passing the ball. He just makes this team better when he is on the floor.
--Today wasn’t the best days for either junior guard Jordan McCabe or junior forward Emmitt Matthews. They finished with 4 turnovers and 2 assists and seemed to make mistakes at the worst possible times. I’ve thought McCabe has played very well of late but had some really mystifying passes in this one. How many times is this team going to make a bad pass that turns into momentum killing transition baskets for the other team? I believe you could make a lowlight reel about it this season.
--If you want to win this league, you have to take care of business at home. This is the third league loss at home this year granted all to good teams and two in overtime. But that tells a story despite the 6-2 mark on the road.
--West Virginia is now 17-7, 10-5 in the Big 12 with two games left. You get both games at home and if you win them both you’re likely sitting on the two-line heading into the conference tournament as well as finishing second place in the league. You can’t let this loss, turn into multiple losses because this team still has a lot to play for even with the regular season title hopes now gone.
--West Virginia was at 1.271 points per possession and Baylor was at 1.270. Difference is two more turnovers and the fact Baylor got easier shots. The Bears almost missed more layups (9) than West Virginia even attempted (12) and that was a theme in this one.
--West Virginia was 28-32 from the foul line in this game but two of those misses really loomed large. Of course, the misfire by McBride at the end of regulation which kept it a two-point game and allowed Baylor to get an easy basket at the rim to tie it and send it into overtime and then Taz Sherman misfiring on one before hitting the next in overtime, which would be the final point scored by the Mountaineers.
--Baylor just got too many easy baskets and scored off what seemed to be the same play five or six times in this game. The Mountaineers didn’t make the correct rotations and Baylor made them pay for it several times. The Bears had 42 points in the paint and only took 39 two-point attempts in total. So many times, it was just baskets right at the rim with little resistance.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman did it again. Late in the game, he was able to foul out Jared Butler (25 points, 5 assists) on a play that was almost identical to what he did against Texas to get Courtney Ramey out of the game. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t pay off as the Mountaineers would be outscored 6-0 down the stretch run of the game. Sherman was brilliant at times in this one scoring 26 points and hitting 9-14 from the field. He didn’t have the best overtime period outside of that foul drawn, but he was critical hitting shots to keep West Virginia in this one for a large portion of the game.
--Junior guard Sean McNeil was impressive again in this one scoring 18 points with 15 of those coming in the second half. He has an ability to just get started and score points in bunches and it is really fun to watch. I’ve also been really impressed with how he has continued to improve on the defensive end.
--Sophomore Deuce McBride played 40-minutes in this one and looked to be healthy. He scored 19 points, had 8 assists and 4 rebounds. He got an awful call against him in overtime on the charge, but like Bridges he made a fantastic block down the stretch. He’s going to beat himself up for that misfire on the foul line but he bounced back and didn’t seem to have any ill effects.
--I understand a lot of people are going to focus on the mistakes West Virginia made, but give Baylor a lot of credit. After a 21-day layoff and only two games back, they were the team that was getting to every loose ball and made the smart plays down the stretch to find a way to win this one. Mark Vital had 8 rebounds in the game, 5 on the offensive end and it seemed like every single one resulted in points. This is an experienced team, especially in the backcourt, and that mattered down the stretch. I thought that the stretch where Matt Mayer hit the two threes and got to the rim late was critical. He made some key baskets that really kept them afloat especially catching the Mountaineers confused.
--That’s not to say West Virginia certainly didn’t have its share of miscues that led to this defeat. The turnover before the half with 1 second left that Baylor turned into a three-ball moves front and center, using a timeout to start the second half and just turning the ball over at inopportune times all come to mind. The Mountaineers had a lot of chances to win this one and just couldn’t do it.
--Redshirt freshman forward Jalen Bridges scored 12 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and recorded a monster block. In the end it didn’t matter but what a fantastic play by the freshman and while he continues to get lost at times on defense, he continues to get better and better. His three-ball to put the Mountaineers ahead 88-86 with the shot clock expiring made you feel like this was just going to be West Virginia’s night. Again, he was active and as he continues to get more comfortable has a lot of upside.
--Junior forward Derek Culver didn’t make a field goal in this game and really struggled on the defensive end. He still finished with 9 points, all from the foul line, and 9 rebounds but overall, the Mountaineers were -26 (!) when he was in the game tonight. Give him credit for going 9-10 from the line, but this certainly wasn't one of his best efforts as the Mountaineers struggled to get him the ball and he put himself out of position a lot.
--The same can’t be said for senior forward Gabe Osabuohien who again didn’t score but led the team at +15 overall. He had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals but again was active and did a good job passing the ball. He just makes this team better when he is on the floor.
--Today wasn’t the best days for either junior guard Jordan McCabe or junior forward Emmitt Matthews. They finished with 4 turnovers and 2 assists and seemed to make mistakes at the worst possible times. I’ve thought McCabe has played very well of late but had some really mystifying passes in this one. How many times is this team going to make a bad pass that turns into momentum killing transition baskets for the other team? I believe you could make a lowlight reel about it this season.
--If you want to win this league, you have to take care of business at home. This is the third league loss at home this year granted all to good teams and two in overtime. But that tells a story despite the 6-2 mark on the road.
--West Virginia is now 17-7, 10-5 in the Big 12 with two games left. You get both games at home and if you win them both you’re likely sitting on the two-line heading into the conference tournament as well as finishing second place in the league. You can’t let this loss, turn into multiple losses because this team still has a lot to play for even with the regular season title hopes now gone.
