–Well, it’s a win. West Virginia didn’t play a perfect game but something you saw out of this lineup with every single player on the floor was effort. One thing that is apparent is this team is going to play hard regardless who is in the game. The Mountaineers certainly didn’t play a clean game on the offensive end, especially, but the effort was always there. West Virginia was +14 on the glass at halftime and held Mount. St. Mary’s to 21.4-percent from the field in an effort that just exuded effort all around. It was just encouraging to see a team have to work to score after what happened over and over again last year.
–West Virginia held Mount St. Mary’s to 33-percent shooting with 17 turnovers although they did get hot from deep late to connect on 48-percent of those attempts. The Mountaineers didn’t make it easy as they challenged a lot outside of some of those corner threes that have haunted this club. But this group is going to make it tough in the halfcourt. Last season, the Mountaineers held one team all-season to 33-percent from the field. The second half was more of a transition game but the defense has to be better in the second half.
–West Virginia was +17 on the glass including a 32-10 edge in the paint.
–I thought Emmitt Matthews was very good in this one all the way around. Matthews finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and was a major spark for this team at different times in this one. Matthews has a lot more confidence in his offensive game and really was able to see the floor well and distribute the basketball. He was active on the glass and did essentially everything that Huggins wanted to see out of him in game one. He paced the team at +15.
–Tre Mitchell scored 13 points in 14 minutes going 4-7 from the field and looking like a go-to option for the Mountaineers late despite the fact that he didn’t play a full complement of weapons. Mitchell wasn’t necessarily expected to play tonight but he did and made a difference. He is going to be a big part of what this team does offensively. He did this without even practicing with the team yet so there is only room for improvement.
–I don’t remember a time in recent years where West Virginia could go as deeply versatile as they could up front with Jimmy Bell, James Okonkwo and Mohamed Wague combining for 21 rebounds during their time on the floor and allowing Bob Huggins to use a number of different options. Love what Wague brings to the table as a high-effort guy with 9 points and 9 rebounds, but he is only scratching the surface of what he can bring to the table. Okonkwo and Wague had two blocks each and the former had one of the famous Konate blocks where he grabbed the ball out of the air and it led to transition. Bell plays really hard and while it isn’t showing up yet with points he is creating opportunities for others.
–The Mountaineers had 66 possessions, but turned the ball over 18 times. That led to 1.152 points per possession and finished 49-percent from the field. One thing you love to see is 17 assists on 28 made baskets, which is a sign that the ball is moving.
–You feel like Erik Stevenson didn’t have a great game but you look at the box score and he’s 10 points on 4-6 from the field. He wasn’t on the floor for periods due to foul trouble but is certainly a guy that can score and facilitate for this team.
–Liked seeing the aggression out of Seth Wilson with 7 points on 3-7 shooting. He definitely looked like a guy that is much more confident taking shots and making plays. He was +13.
–Speaking of the depth, 40 of the 76 points came from the bench.
–You see glimpses of what Joe Toussaint brings to the table with his ball handling and he hit some shots, but was 2-7 from the field.
–West Virginia will head to Pittsburgh next and it is going to be a bigger challenge than this was. Will be interesting to see how they handle themselves because there are a lot of options and a lot of ways to move this team around that is exciting moving forward. Still, there is a way to go here but as long as the effort is there it’s enticing.
–West Virginia held Mount St. Mary’s to 33-percent shooting with 17 turnovers although they did get hot from deep late to connect on 48-percent of those attempts. The Mountaineers didn’t make it easy as they challenged a lot outside of some of those corner threes that have haunted this club. But this group is going to make it tough in the halfcourt. Last season, the Mountaineers held one team all-season to 33-percent from the field. The second half was more of a transition game but the defense has to be better in the second half.
–West Virginia was +17 on the glass including a 32-10 edge in the paint.
–I thought Emmitt Matthews was very good in this one all the way around. Matthews finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and was a major spark for this team at different times in this one. Matthews has a lot more confidence in his offensive game and really was able to see the floor well and distribute the basketball. He was active on the glass and did essentially everything that Huggins wanted to see out of him in game one. He paced the team at +15.
–Tre Mitchell scored 13 points in 14 minutes going 4-7 from the field and looking like a go-to option for the Mountaineers late despite the fact that he didn’t play a full complement of weapons. Mitchell wasn’t necessarily expected to play tonight but he did and made a difference. He is going to be a big part of what this team does offensively. He did this without even practicing with the team yet so there is only room for improvement.
–I don’t remember a time in recent years where West Virginia could go as deeply versatile as they could up front with Jimmy Bell, James Okonkwo and Mohamed Wague combining for 21 rebounds during their time on the floor and allowing Bob Huggins to use a number of different options. Love what Wague brings to the table as a high-effort guy with 9 points and 9 rebounds, but he is only scratching the surface of what he can bring to the table. Okonkwo and Wague had two blocks each and the former had one of the famous Konate blocks where he grabbed the ball out of the air and it led to transition. Bell plays really hard and while it isn’t showing up yet with points he is creating opportunities for others.
–The Mountaineers had 66 possessions, but turned the ball over 18 times. That led to 1.152 points per possession and finished 49-percent from the field. One thing you love to see is 17 assists on 28 made baskets, which is a sign that the ball is moving.
–You feel like Erik Stevenson didn’t have a great game but you look at the box score and he’s 10 points on 4-6 from the field. He wasn’t on the floor for periods due to foul trouble but is certainly a guy that can score and facilitate for this team.
–Liked seeing the aggression out of Seth Wilson with 7 points on 3-7 shooting. He definitely looked like a guy that is much more confident taking shots and making plays. He was +13.
–Speaking of the depth, 40 of the 76 points came from the bench.
–You see glimpses of what Joe Toussaint brings to the table with his ball handling and he hit some shots, but was 2-7 from the field.
–West Virginia will head to Pittsburgh next and it is going to be a bigger challenge than this was. Will be interesting to see how they handle themselves because there are a lot of options and a lot of ways to move this team around that is exciting moving forward. Still, there is a way to go here but as long as the effort is there it’s enticing.
