--Well, at least for one night the Big 12/SEC Challenge monkey is off the back of West Virginia as the Mountaineers won in the event for only the second half handling Missouri 74-51. This was a game of runs as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 20-6 lead and the Tigers had a 17-4 run of their own to make the score at 24-23 right before halftime. Then it was a 21-0 run by West Virginia in the second half to essentially ice the game as that run in itself was almost more points than the Tigers had in total at 25 at the time. It was a familiar formula as the Mountaineers used a smothering half court defense holding the Tigers to 28-percent from the field and 27-percent from three, numbers that truthfully were inflated down the stretch when the game was already well-decided. Missouri made 15 shots and turned the ball over 16 times that pretty much tells the story.
--Felt the defense in the second half was the difference. West Virginia seemed to strangle out any of the live left in Missouri by holding them scoreless while converting next to the basket.
--West Virginia absolutely dominated the glass in this one at +20 in the rebounding department and +11 in offensive boards. That led to a 27-9 advantage in second chance points and the Mountaineers shooting a total of 12 more shots than the Tigers. Let this sink in between Oscar Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Gabe Osabuohien the Mountaineers had more rebounds (31) than the entire Missouri basketball team in this one (30).
--After averaging 18 turnovers per game, West Virginia has recorded only 19 over the last two games. That is a very positive development especially considering again, it resulted in only 9 point off those mistakes. The Mountaineers had been turning it over on 21-percent of their possessions so if that element is trending toward a fix that's a great sign for this team.
--It's a lot easier to score close to the basket and West Virginia held an advantage there 30-14. It doesn't have to be stated how critical that can be. It could have been even worse for Missouri if West Virginia could have made shots right at the basket as they finished 15-30 on layups.
--Senior guard Jermaine Haley was the spark that really got things going for the Mountaineers in this one. He simply doesn't take many bad shots and is taking advantage of his size to get baskets. He finished this game with 15 points and 9 rebounds and if the Mountaineers can get anything close to this type of effort consistently this team is going to be tough to beat. A total of four of those rebounds came at the offensive end and kept possessions alive. He also had three steals.
--There is no question to me that junior Gabe Osabuohien is not only becoming a better offensive threat to go along with his rebounding and defense but he is by far the best passer into the post on this roster. He has brought a ton to this club.
--It's just become commonplace to expect freshman Miles McBride to play well and he finished this game 7-11 from the field and tied for the lead at 15 points and almost seems like an afterthought.
--Junior Taz Sherman only played 8 minutes, but in that time he scored a total of 9 points and hit 4-8 shots from the field as he continued to get open looks off the hand off action. The fact he displayed confidence to shoot the ball when he was open is what West Virginia wants to see out of him and outside a failed dunk attempt when he lost the ball it was a strong performance.
--Highest +/- on the team? Senior guard Chase Harler at +26.
--West Virginia will travel to Texas Tech next, with a chance for the season sweep of the Red Raiders. The Mountaineers have already surpassed their win total from all of last season in 19 games speaking to where this club is at. Can they do it on the road in a hostile environment?
--Felt the defense in the second half was the difference. West Virginia seemed to strangle out any of the live left in Missouri by holding them scoreless while converting next to the basket.
--West Virginia absolutely dominated the glass in this one at +20 in the rebounding department and +11 in offensive boards. That led to a 27-9 advantage in second chance points and the Mountaineers shooting a total of 12 more shots than the Tigers. Let this sink in between Oscar Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Gabe Osabuohien the Mountaineers had more rebounds (31) than the entire Missouri basketball team in this one (30).
--After averaging 18 turnovers per game, West Virginia has recorded only 19 over the last two games. That is a very positive development especially considering again, it resulted in only 9 point off those mistakes. The Mountaineers had been turning it over on 21-percent of their possessions so if that element is trending toward a fix that's a great sign for this team.
--It's a lot easier to score close to the basket and West Virginia held an advantage there 30-14. It doesn't have to be stated how critical that can be. It could have been even worse for Missouri if West Virginia could have made shots right at the basket as they finished 15-30 on layups.
--Senior guard Jermaine Haley was the spark that really got things going for the Mountaineers in this one. He simply doesn't take many bad shots and is taking advantage of his size to get baskets. He finished this game with 15 points and 9 rebounds and if the Mountaineers can get anything close to this type of effort consistently this team is going to be tough to beat. A total of four of those rebounds came at the offensive end and kept possessions alive. He also had three steals.
--There is no question to me that junior Gabe Osabuohien is not only becoming a better offensive threat to go along with his rebounding and defense but he is by far the best passer into the post on this roster. He has brought a ton to this club.
--It's just become commonplace to expect freshman Miles McBride to play well and he finished this game 7-11 from the field and tied for the lead at 15 points and almost seems like an afterthought.
--Junior Taz Sherman only played 8 minutes, but in that time he scored a total of 9 points and hit 4-8 shots from the field as he continued to get open looks off the hand off action. The fact he displayed confidence to shoot the ball when he was open is what West Virginia wants to see out of him and outside a failed dunk attempt when he lost the ball it was a strong performance.
--Highest +/- on the team? Senior guard Chase Harler at +26.
--West Virginia will travel to Texas Tech next, with a chance for the season sweep of the Red Raiders. The Mountaineers have already surpassed their win total from all of last season in 19 games speaking to where this club is at. Can they do it on the road in a hostile environment?
