--West Virginia got pretty much exactly what they wanted out of this game. Another win at home against a team that’s better than its record, but head coach Bob Huggins was able to unlock the mystery of what has been going on with big man Oscar Tshiebwe while also getting some young players into the game. It was exactly what Huggins wanted to do coming into the game and he got all 15 into the game, some of those for more than just end of the game mop up duties. That type of experience can make a big difference down the road if West Virginia needs to call on them. Moving onto 8-2 isn’t too bad when you consider the two losses are to two of the best teams in the country.
--The Mountaineers dominated this game in the paint scoring 50 of their 73 total points in the paint. West Virginia controlled the glass as well +9 and were +9 on the offensive glass for 14 second chance points. Northeastern didn’t really have any bigs that can match up with what the Mountaineers had in the paint but the two primary bigs scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. That is tough to top.
--I questioned how hard sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe had been playing in the last observations piece and he pretty much admitted that he was thinking too much and not letting the game come to him. That certainly wasn’t the case today and while he dominated in the post against a team that couldn’t handle him, he scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was all over on the glass and ran the floor much better than he has in the past couple games. It truly seemed like this could be the start of something special for him if he can keep this up against a more difficult level of competition.
--I felt like junior Derek Culver could have scored as many as he wanted in this one early in the contest. He finished with 18 and made 8-11 from the field.
--West Virginia only made 2-21 from three. The last time West Virginia made only two threes and won was in Morgantown last season against Oklahoma State. They didn’t need it today, but that aspect has to get better against higher quality competition. Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman, Jordan McCabe and Deuce McBride combined to go 0-14 from deep in this one.
--Speaking of which Sherman really seemed to struggle in this one. He was 2-11 from the field and just really seemed off in his shot. He has been really the most consistent shooter on the team this year and they’re going to need him to get things sorted out.
--The Mountaineers were much better on the defensive end after a couple hiccups early in the game. West Virginia held them to 33-percent from the floor and forced a total of 19 turnovers. That resulted in 22 points in the win. The Mountaineers held them to 7-24 from deep which was a major improvement.
--Junior Emmitt Matthews was aggressive in this one and it’s something you like to see when he can play under control. He scored 13 points and was 4-6 from the field. He did commit 4 turnovers, some of which when he got a little sped up, but he was +14 overall in the game, second highest on the team.
--The Mountaineers took care of the basketball in this one with only 8 turnovers.
--Isaiah Cottrell got injured but continued to look the part when he's out there, while Jalen Bridges and Kedrian Johnson also flashed their skill set when they got time on the floor. This group hasn't played as much but they certainly have a lot to build on as we move forward. I think these players could end up playing a much bigger role as the season continues.
--This one is pretty cut and dry and nothing you didn’t expect to see. West Virginia will now hit the road to take on Oklahoma and that definitely isn’t going to be as easy. They follow that up with a trip to Oklahoma State. This is a big stretch for the Mountaineers and a couple wins could go a long way toward competing for a possible conference regular season crown.
--The Mountaineers dominated this game in the paint scoring 50 of their 73 total points in the paint. West Virginia controlled the glass as well +9 and were +9 on the offensive glass for 14 second chance points. Northeastern didn’t really have any bigs that can match up with what the Mountaineers had in the paint but the two primary bigs scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. That is tough to top.
--I questioned how hard sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe had been playing in the last observations piece and he pretty much admitted that he was thinking too much and not letting the game come to him. That certainly wasn’t the case today and while he dominated in the post against a team that couldn’t handle him, he scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was all over on the glass and ran the floor much better than he has in the past couple games. It truly seemed like this could be the start of something special for him if he can keep this up against a more difficult level of competition.
--I felt like junior Derek Culver could have scored as many as he wanted in this one early in the contest. He finished with 18 and made 8-11 from the field.
--West Virginia only made 2-21 from three. The last time West Virginia made only two threes and won was in Morgantown last season against Oklahoma State. They didn’t need it today, but that aspect has to get better against higher quality competition. Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman, Jordan McCabe and Deuce McBride combined to go 0-14 from deep in this one.
--Speaking of which Sherman really seemed to struggle in this one. He was 2-11 from the field and just really seemed off in his shot. He has been really the most consistent shooter on the team this year and they’re going to need him to get things sorted out.
--The Mountaineers were much better on the defensive end after a couple hiccups early in the game. West Virginia held them to 33-percent from the floor and forced a total of 19 turnovers. That resulted in 22 points in the win. The Mountaineers held them to 7-24 from deep which was a major improvement.
--Junior Emmitt Matthews was aggressive in this one and it’s something you like to see when he can play under control. He scored 13 points and was 4-6 from the field. He did commit 4 turnovers, some of which when he got a little sped up, but he was +14 overall in the game, second highest on the team.
--The Mountaineers took care of the basketball in this one with only 8 turnovers.
--Isaiah Cottrell got injured but continued to look the part when he's out there, while Jalen Bridges and Kedrian Johnson also flashed their skill set when they got time on the floor. This group hasn't played as much but they certainly have a lot to build on as we move forward. I think these players could end up playing a much bigger role as the season continues.
--This one is pretty cut and dry and nothing you didn’t expect to see. West Virginia will now hit the road to take on Oklahoma and that definitely isn’t going to be as easy. They follow that up with a trip to Oklahoma State. This is a big stretch for the Mountaineers and a couple wins could go a long way toward competing for a possible conference regular season crown.
