--Again, West Virginia battled hard in this one but Baylor simply made more plays when it mattered down the stretch and continued to make difficult shots. The Bears took complete control early in the contest with a 21-3 run, but a 14-0 run got the Mountaineers back into the game. This was close throughout the second half until late when the Bears were able to create some distance and ultimately win the game. Unfortunately, you don’t get credit for ‘almost’ in college basketball and regardless of the effort the end result is the same with a loss. This team gets a lot of credit for adjusting after struggling early in the game to both stop the Bears as well as get up quality looks. Granted, it might have helped if Baylor wasn’t getting away with illegal screens for the majority of the game but you have to give credit where credit is due. The Bears simply made more difficult shots down the stretch and made the plays to win this basketball game. Not having a reliable inside presence to score the ball again haunted West Virginia in this one and the fact the Mountaineers were 7-22 on layups was telling in the final score. This team just struggled to put the ball in the basket at the rim.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman looked sharp to open the game scoring 11 points in the first half on 3-7 from the field, but he struggled in the second and it appeared he was forcing things at times going 2-9 from the field. He had some good looks for sure, but just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. Head coach Bob Huggins has said that he isn’t all the way back from COVID-19 and you can’t realistically expect him to carry the team every game offensively, but they need his scoring especially in late tight-game situations.
--On the flip side, felt like senior guard Sean McNeil didn’t take enough shots in this one. He really helped fuel that come back in the first half and was 7-13 from the floor finishing with 17 points. He has been the second option pretty much all year and continues to impress with his shooting.
--West Virginia again broke down at times offensively and it was senior guard Malik Curry that was able to finish at the rim and hit some shots. His ability to get the ball to the basket has been a welcomed sight over the last two and he’s now averaged 21 points over his last two games. He certainly looks the part and can create space off the bounce, although he is out of control at times but I thought this performance was even better than his one against Kansas. He’s starting to show he can at least provide some offense at that point guard spot to help alleviate some concerns there.
--Redshirt freshman Isaiah Cottrell struggled again in the post on the defensive end, while Huggins tried Pauly Paulicap and even Seny Ndiaye but I thought that senior forward Dimon Carrigan played very well against the physicality of the Baylor bigs in this contest. He challenged them on the defensive end and was able to affect shots/passing lanes with his length. He didn’t score a single point and only took one shot but was at +15 on the floor because of what he gave the Mountaineers in his 14 minutes. This is definitely a step in the right direction for him.
--Redshirt sophomore Jalen Bridges was 3-12 from the floor and like the rest of the team struggled to get the ball to go down in the paint. He did have 6 offensive rebounds, which you want to see, but it continues to be an up and down event on the offensive end. You can see the potential at times, but the Mountaineers need him to be more aggressive when he gets the ball in the paint and finish tough.
--Curry has stepped up the past two, but West Virginia desperately needs a third option that they can rely on to consistently put the ball in the basket. It’s been far too hit or miss to date and while some players have stepped up at different times, it just hasn’t been reliable over the long haul.
--Only 10 assists on 24 made baskets. Too often this team simply doesn’t run offense which I think is a product of the lack of a big that’s able to finish around the rim. Gabe Osabuohien is an incredible player for what he does but he might be the best finisher on this team of the bigs and he isn’t necessarily known for that.
--Thought West Virginia competed on the glass on both ends, but couldn't finish.
--This just wasn’t a good game for senior forward Pauly Paulicap. He was limited to only 3 minutes, but when he played just couldn’t hang onto the ball and seemed out of sorts. I think the plug was pulled a little early considering he is a physical presence that at least gives you defense but when you turn the ball over twice in that limited time sometimes the decision is made for you.
--West Virginia has gone 55-66 from the foul line over the last three games. Curry has hit all 16 of his attempts over the past two contests. Again, we’re turning the corner here.
--Things don’t get any easier with a road trip up next to Texas Tech. Such is life in the Big 12 and it’s going to be important for this team to continue to fight like they have even with the recent struggles against some very good basketball teams. This team had an opportunity in this one but couldn’t close it out. You don’t want that to become the theme.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman looked sharp to open the game scoring 11 points in the first half on 3-7 from the field, but he struggled in the second and it appeared he was forcing things at times going 2-9 from the field. He had some good looks for sure, but just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. Head coach Bob Huggins has said that he isn’t all the way back from COVID-19 and you can’t realistically expect him to carry the team every game offensively, but they need his scoring especially in late tight-game situations.
--On the flip side, felt like senior guard Sean McNeil didn’t take enough shots in this one. He really helped fuel that come back in the first half and was 7-13 from the floor finishing with 17 points. He has been the second option pretty much all year and continues to impress with his shooting.
--West Virginia again broke down at times offensively and it was senior guard Malik Curry that was able to finish at the rim and hit some shots. His ability to get the ball to the basket has been a welcomed sight over the last two and he’s now averaged 21 points over his last two games. He certainly looks the part and can create space off the bounce, although he is out of control at times but I thought this performance was even better than his one against Kansas. He’s starting to show he can at least provide some offense at that point guard spot to help alleviate some concerns there.
--Redshirt freshman Isaiah Cottrell struggled again in the post on the defensive end, while Huggins tried Pauly Paulicap and even Seny Ndiaye but I thought that senior forward Dimon Carrigan played very well against the physicality of the Baylor bigs in this contest. He challenged them on the defensive end and was able to affect shots/passing lanes with his length. He didn’t score a single point and only took one shot but was at +15 on the floor because of what he gave the Mountaineers in his 14 minutes. This is definitely a step in the right direction for him.
--Redshirt sophomore Jalen Bridges was 3-12 from the floor and like the rest of the team struggled to get the ball to go down in the paint. He did have 6 offensive rebounds, which you want to see, but it continues to be an up and down event on the offensive end. You can see the potential at times, but the Mountaineers need him to be more aggressive when he gets the ball in the paint and finish tough.
--Curry has stepped up the past two, but West Virginia desperately needs a third option that they can rely on to consistently put the ball in the basket. It’s been far too hit or miss to date and while some players have stepped up at different times, it just hasn’t been reliable over the long haul.
--Only 10 assists on 24 made baskets. Too often this team simply doesn’t run offense which I think is a product of the lack of a big that’s able to finish around the rim. Gabe Osabuohien is an incredible player for what he does but he might be the best finisher on this team of the bigs and he isn’t necessarily known for that.
--Thought West Virginia competed on the glass on both ends, but couldn't finish.
--This just wasn’t a good game for senior forward Pauly Paulicap. He was limited to only 3 minutes, but when he played just couldn’t hang onto the ball and seemed out of sorts. I think the plug was pulled a little early considering he is a physical presence that at least gives you defense but when you turn the ball over twice in that limited time sometimes the decision is made for you.
--West Virginia has gone 55-66 from the foul line over the last three games. Curry has hit all 16 of his attempts over the past two contests. Again, we’re turning the corner here.
--Things don’t get any easier with a road trip up next to Texas Tech. Such is life in the Big 12 and it’s going to be important for this team to continue to fight like they have even with the recent struggles against some very good basketball teams. This team had an opportunity in this one but couldn’t close it out. You don’t want that to become the theme.
