--Well, that was a fun one, huh? That was the closest thing to an old Big East basketball game that I can recall in recent memory. Arbitrary foul calls, physical basketball on both ends and both coaches mad at the officials at the same time. There was an energy in the building tonight, especially late in the contest, and credit to this West Virginia team for finding a way to win at home to get their first quadrant one win of the season. The Mountaineers are now 8-1 on the year but this is by far their best win of the season and it’s a little more satisfying that it came over an old Big East opponent. The Mountaineers don’t get a lot of whistles that let the game play out the way this one did and it was some fun, nostalgic basketball. That was a rock fight and it was great to see it. The most beautiful ugly game is how I’d describe it.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman continued to be a difference maker scoring 23 points going 8-17 from the field with 6 rebounds and he played all 40 minutes. Sherman has gotten to a new level when it comes to creating off the bounce and is just playing some fantastic offensive basketball right now. I discussed this earlier in the week but he is playing at an all-conference level and perhaps beyond. The jump he’s made is as impressive as any that I’ve seen in recent memory.
--Going 12-27 from the foul line is just unacceptable. The Mountaineers could have put this one away a lot sooner and not deal with the late game drama if they had just made free throws. And it wasn’t just one player either as every single guy that lined up to shoot missed at least one. That isn’t going to cut it.
--Senior forward Pauly Paulicap got more minutes (I’ve been screaming from the roof tops in these) and predictably produced. He was tied for the team lead at +7 across his 19 minutes and finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, a block and a steal. The guy just brings a different level of energy and has developed into the most reliable post option on this team.
--We all know what senior forward Gabe Osabuohien brings to the table but the sequence after the missed free throw is exactly his worth. He was able to grab the offensive rebound and smartly kick the ball back out to Sean McNeil who is clearly a better option at the line. Of his 7 rebounds, 6 were at the offensive end. Osabuohien was tied at +7 across his 19-minutes with 7 rebounds. The only knock on his performance was that three he shot and from the line at 2-8 but you’ll trade that for what else you get.
--Credit to West Virginia for going to the 1-3-1 late in the game to mix up Connecticut. They really struggled against it and had a lot of opportunities but there was some clear frustration. The defense overall forced 16 turnovers and several shot clock violations while doing a good job running Connecticut off the line. The Huskies were 3-21 from three in this game from deep.
--West Virginia was only outrebounded by 4 in this one which says a lot considering how athletic that Connecticut was coming into this game. The biggest thing is that their 13 offensive rebounds resulted in only 14 points which was +1 from what the Mountaineers got in those situations.
—Welcome back senior guard Sean McNeil. He scored the first 4 points and finished with 16. He really gave this team a lift with Sherman at times in this game and was the closer at the line late.
--Sophomore Jalen Bridges only had 3 points but felt that his defensive rebound near the end of the game after Connecticut had multiple chances to tie the game was significant. You want to see him be a little more aggressive but seeing him make some big plays late is significant.
--Who thought at the start of the season we’d have Paulicap and Kedrian Johnson coming into the game on the offensive end with o/d subs late. Those two continue to improve and it’s making this a much better basketball team.
--West Virginia was at .962 points per possession and 10-22 on layup and dunks while not getting a favorable whistle given how physical it was but finding a way to win games like this is what eventually gets a team into the tournament. A long way to go, but this team is getting better.
--Enjoy this one fellas. That’s two wins over Big East opponents in the Coliseum and this one was a ranked opponent. On to the next one.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman continued to be a difference maker scoring 23 points going 8-17 from the field with 6 rebounds and he played all 40 minutes. Sherman has gotten to a new level when it comes to creating off the bounce and is just playing some fantastic offensive basketball right now. I discussed this earlier in the week but he is playing at an all-conference level and perhaps beyond. The jump he’s made is as impressive as any that I’ve seen in recent memory.
--Going 12-27 from the foul line is just unacceptable. The Mountaineers could have put this one away a lot sooner and not deal with the late game drama if they had just made free throws. And it wasn’t just one player either as every single guy that lined up to shoot missed at least one. That isn’t going to cut it.
--Senior forward Pauly Paulicap got more minutes (I’ve been screaming from the roof tops in these) and predictably produced. He was tied for the team lead at +7 across his 19 minutes and finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, a block and a steal. The guy just brings a different level of energy and has developed into the most reliable post option on this team.
--We all know what senior forward Gabe Osabuohien brings to the table but the sequence after the missed free throw is exactly his worth. He was able to grab the offensive rebound and smartly kick the ball back out to Sean McNeil who is clearly a better option at the line. Of his 7 rebounds, 6 were at the offensive end. Osabuohien was tied at +7 across his 19-minutes with 7 rebounds. The only knock on his performance was that three he shot and from the line at 2-8 but you’ll trade that for what else you get.
--Credit to West Virginia for going to the 1-3-1 late in the game to mix up Connecticut. They really struggled against it and had a lot of opportunities but there was some clear frustration. The defense overall forced 16 turnovers and several shot clock violations while doing a good job running Connecticut off the line. The Huskies were 3-21 from three in this game from deep.
--West Virginia was only outrebounded by 4 in this one which says a lot considering how athletic that Connecticut was coming into this game. The biggest thing is that their 13 offensive rebounds resulted in only 14 points which was +1 from what the Mountaineers got in those situations.
—Welcome back senior guard Sean McNeil. He scored the first 4 points and finished with 16. He really gave this team a lift with Sherman at times in this game and was the closer at the line late.
--Sophomore Jalen Bridges only had 3 points but felt that his defensive rebound near the end of the game after Connecticut had multiple chances to tie the game was significant. You want to see him be a little more aggressive but seeing him make some big plays late is significant.
--Who thought at the start of the season we’d have Paulicap and Kedrian Johnson coming into the game on the offensive end with o/d subs late. Those two continue to improve and it’s making this a much better basketball team.
--West Virginia was at .962 points per possession and 10-22 on layup and dunks while not getting a favorable whistle given how physical it was but finding a way to win games like this is what eventually gets a team into the tournament. A long way to go, but this team is getting better.
--Enjoy this one fellas. That’s two wins over Big East opponents in the Coliseum and this one was a ranked opponent. On to the next one.
