--Well, this one happened. I don’t have a lot of positives from this one as West Virginia struggled for large stretches and only had 11 points with 7:56 remaining in the first half. But the Mountaineers did put this one away eventually and was able to score a 63-50 win in a game that really wasn’t that close n the second half. This team has an issue with creating distance between itself and opponents at times and while they can get away with it against Kent State, that isn’t going to be the case with what is left on this schedule. A let down could somewhat be expected after the environment in the Connecticut game but this team is going to need more consistent efforts moving forward across the board.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman continues to score the ball at a high clip. He finished this game with 27 of the West Virginia 63 points and was 9-14 from the floor across 34 minutes. He is playing basically most of the game right now on a nightly basis and has played 74 of the 80 total minutes over the last two. Sherman right now is one of the only players on this roster that can create his own shot and at times the Mountaineers are depending on him a little too much on the offensive end. The only knock right now is Sherman has been an 86.5% free throw shooter over his first two years and has gone 7-20 over the last two. That is really out of character for him and while I believe it will work itself out, it’s odd.
--Senior guard Sean McNeil shot the ball well in this one and was the only other reliable scoring option for West Virginia in this game with 19 points on 6-11 shooting in 34 minutes. He hit some very tough shots in this one and when he’s scoring along with Sherman it gives the Mountaineers another option.
--West Virginia has got to get more offensively out of redshirt sophomore Jalen Bridges. He had only 3 points in this one and attempted only 3 shots. I have been encouraged in other areas though as he seems to really be hustling and not getting down on himself as he grabbed 6 rebounds in this one. But this team needs a reliable third scoring option somewhere and Bridges was supposed to be that guy. Bridges has scored only 10 points over the last three games and taken only 8 shots.
--I’m starting to believe only senior Gabe Osabuohien can score a single point and still go +10 for the game, second highest on the team behind McNeil. He had 4 rebounds and a steal and was really active all over the floor.
--I don’t know how you can watch senior forward Pauly Paulicap play and not love what he brings to the table. He had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in this one and that final number should have been 3. His block where he chased down the layup attempt and denied it might be one of the best blocks we see all year. He just plays with so much effort on a nightly basis and while he didn’t score in this one, he clearly makes a difference every time he steps on the floor.
--Foul shooting. Shew. West Virginia was 13-24 from the line in this one after going 12-27 against Connecticut. That simply can’t happen and it continues to with this team. At least the Mountaineers were 9-12 from the line in the second half but that’s about the only positive.
--I don’t think the team really moved the ball well for long stretches in this game. At times it almost seemed like they were waiting for Sherman or McNeil to make a play. The offense was at .969 points per possession and only 10 assists on 22 made baskets. The Mountaineers had 16 turnovers.
--West Virginia was 9-18 on layups in this game, albeit some of those were contested.
--West Virginia got a combined 7 points from their bigs in this one, outside Osabuohien. Those three are going to continue to split time but you really would like to see some more production there. Still, I was encouraged that Dimon Carrigan was able to finish at the rim because that had been an issue.
--The two primary point guards played 40 minutes with 5 turnovers and 3 assists.
--Only 7 bench points. That’s sort of where we’re at with this team right now as they look for players that are going to step up and score.
--+7 on the glass. That is a number you like to see.
--Next up isn’t going to be an easy one as the Mountaineers will travel to UAB. It’s the first true road game for West Virginia this season and is going to be a significant challenge.
--Senior guard Taz Sherman continues to score the ball at a high clip. He finished this game with 27 of the West Virginia 63 points and was 9-14 from the floor across 34 minutes. He is playing basically most of the game right now on a nightly basis and has played 74 of the 80 total minutes over the last two. Sherman right now is one of the only players on this roster that can create his own shot and at times the Mountaineers are depending on him a little too much on the offensive end. The only knock right now is Sherman has been an 86.5% free throw shooter over his first two years and has gone 7-20 over the last two. That is really out of character for him and while I believe it will work itself out, it’s odd.
--Senior guard Sean McNeil shot the ball well in this one and was the only other reliable scoring option for West Virginia in this game with 19 points on 6-11 shooting in 34 minutes. He hit some very tough shots in this one and when he’s scoring along with Sherman it gives the Mountaineers another option.
--West Virginia has got to get more offensively out of redshirt sophomore Jalen Bridges. He had only 3 points in this one and attempted only 3 shots. I have been encouraged in other areas though as he seems to really be hustling and not getting down on himself as he grabbed 6 rebounds in this one. But this team needs a reliable third scoring option somewhere and Bridges was supposed to be that guy. Bridges has scored only 10 points over the last three games and taken only 8 shots.
--I’m starting to believe only senior Gabe Osabuohien can score a single point and still go +10 for the game, second highest on the team behind McNeil. He had 4 rebounds and a steal and was really active all over the floor.
--I don’t know how you can watch senior forward Pauly Paulicap play and not love what he brings to the table. He had 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in this one and that final number should have been 3. His block where he chased down the layup attempt and denied it might be one of the best blocks we see all year. He just plays with so much effort on a nightly basis and while he didn’t score in this one, he clearly makes a difference every time he steps on the floor.
--Foul shooting. Shew. West Virginia was 13-24 from the line in this one after going 12-27 against Connecticut. That simply can’t happen and it continues to with this team. At least the Mountaineers were 9-12 from the line in the second half but that’s about the only positive.
--I don’t think the team really moved the ball well for long stretches in this game. At times it almost seemed like they were waiting for Sherman or McNeil to make a play. The offense was at .969 points per possession and only 10 assists on 22 made baskets. The Mountaineers had 16 turnovers.
--West Virginia was 9-18 on layups in this game, albeit some of those were contested.
--West Virginia got a combined 7 points from their bigs in this one, outside Osabuohien. Those three are going to continue to split time but you really would like to see some more production there. Still, I was encouraged that Dimon Carrigan was able to finish at the rim because that had been an issue.
--The two primary point guards played 40 minutes with 5 turnovers and 3 assists.
--Only 7 bench points. That’s sort of where we’re at with this team right now as they look for players that are going to step up and score.
--+7 on the glass. That is a number you like to see.
--Next up isn’t going to be an easy one as the Mountaineers will travel to UAB. It’s the first true road game for West Virginia this season and is going to be a significant challenge.
