–West Virginia used a 23-2 run that included a stretch of over eight minutes of game action without TCU scoring a basket to build a first half lead and played arguably their best first half in a long time. The Mountaineers scored 42 points and were at 1.273 points per possession taking control of the game before a really bad stretch over the final 1:43 allowed the Horned Frogs to shave the edge from 22 points to just 15. Still, that first half put the Mountaineers in control and they took care of things in the second by making enough plays to keep TCU from becoming a serious threat throughout. It goes without saying that this is a massive win for West Virginia to get them to 17-11 and 8-9 in Big 12 Conference play with three regular season games remaining. It’s been more bad than good of late, but credit to this team for answering the bell in both of these past two home games and putting themselves in position to have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. Obviously more work needs to be done, but this was a major step toward the pathway to accomplishing that.
–Incredible effort early on defense for West Virginia as TCU went over eight minutes without scoring and allowed West Virginia to build a lead. It didn’t close as well, but that combined with the ability to hit open shots goes a long way in building a commanding early lead in basketball. Now, TCU did get into the paint a little easier late in the first and in the second half but the intensity certainly helped.
–The Mountaineers relied on getting in transition to jump start things and went from there. Great ball movement overall with 17 assists on 27 made baskets and overall the Mountaineers shot 52-percent from the field and 42-percent from three.You’ll take that any night.
–Let’s get this out of the way, West Virginia definitely doesn’t win this game without Javon Small. He had 23 points, despite getting plenty of attention, and seemed to hit big shot after big shot when he did get any bit of room. He was 6-11 from three. Not only did Small score, the senior facilitated the ball for easy scoring opportunities and finished with 10 assists too. It’s the first time that a player has scored 10 assists since Kerr Kriisa did it against Toledo in 2023 and he’s the first player to net 20, 10 and 5 since Jordan McCabe did it against, ironically, TCU in 2019. Now, there were some bad sequences where he got careless and misfired on some attempts to feed the ball for scoring opportunities and in the pick and roll which led to 6 turnovers but he continues to be the engine and was +17.
–Speaking of turnovers, this was just a sloppy game at times for West Virginia with 13 total. Small seemed to try to make a great play several times and it just didn’t come together. Still, with what he brings to the table you can certainly live with it.
–West Virginia outrebounded TCU 29-28 and is now 11-0 when they win that margin this season.
–Hello, Sencire Harris! Typically known for his defense and he continued to frustrate TCU in this game on that end, Harris was aggressive on the offensive end especially in the first half scoring 11 points on 5-6 shooting. The Mountaineers started this game a little sluggish before that major run and it was Harris being aggressive and taking the ball to the rim that kick started things. West Virginia needs scoring options outside of Small and when you get this type of effort from Harris it’s a major plus. He finished with a career high 13 points in this game and was a team high +19 overall.
–While Joe Yesufu dealt with what appeared to be some cramping, he continued to be a reliable scoring option. The senior had 14 points and contributed with some big shots. Yesufu also had 6 rebounds in this game despite being down on the floor twice with injuries. His three after TCU had cut the lead down to single digits might have been the dagger.
--Didn't have West Virginia winning by 18 points when Jonathan Powell took one shot and didn't score. But having others step up really helps.
–Eduardo Andre didn’t play a ton of minutes in this one but I felt was productive on both ends. He only had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks but did a little bit of everything. His blocks erased some easy scoring opportunities for TCU and when he dove on the floor to get the ball and called a timeout that might have fired up Darian DeVries as much as any play I saw all night.
–Also felt that KJ Tenner gave West Virginia some good minutes and hit some shots when the team needed it. At times, he’s been a little tentative on that end but was confident especially with that floater. Again, he didn’t fill the stat sheet but every contribution matters. West Virginia was +14 in his 11 minutes on the floor in this one.
–Mixed game for Amani Hansberry who had 9 points and 5 rebounds with 2 blocks and 2 steals. I like his confidence but sometimes he doesn’t need to pull it. Still, he again had a solid game.
–West Virginia only shot 11 free throws but made 8 of them. The margin wasn’t -18 this time although TCU did sit at +5 in attempts.
--West Virginia forced 14 turnovers and 10 of those were steals. That's active defense.
–It wasn’t the largest crowd tonight but I felt they were really into the game and understood the stakes. Made for a fun environment on a late Tuesday night. The Mountaineers now travel out west for meetings with BYU and Utah before returning home to close against UCF. With 17 wins, I think it’s safe to say that two more definitely gets the Mountaineers in the dance and it also is going to help with seeding. Still, this road trip is massive too and finding a way to win at least one will be critical.
–Incredible effort early on defense for West Virginia as TCU went over eight minutes without scoring and allowed West Virginia to build a lead. It didn’t close as well, but that combined with the ability to hit open shots goes a long way in building a commanding early lead in basketball. Now, TCU did get into the paint a little easier late in the first and in the second half but the intensity certainly helped.
–The Mountaineers relied on getting in transition to jump start things and went from there. Great ball movement overall with 17 assists on 27 made baskets and overall the Mountaineers shot 52-percent from the field and 42-percent from three.You’ll take that any night.
–Let’s get this out of the way, West Virginia definitely doesn’t win this game without Javon Small. He had 23 points, despite getting plenty of attention, and seemed to hit big shot after big shot when he did get any bit of room. He was 6-11 from three. Not only did Small score, the senior facilitated the ball for easy scoring opportunities and finished with 10 assists too. It’s the first time that a player has scored 10 assists since Kerr Kriisa did it against Toledo in 2023 and he’s the first player to net 20, 10 and 5 since Jordan McCabe did it against, ironically, TCU in 2019. Now, there were some bad sequences where he got careless and misfired on some attempts to feed the ball for scoring opportunities and in the pick and roll which led to 6 turnovers but he continues to be the engine and was +17.
–Speaking of turnovers, this was just a sloppy game at times for West Virginia with 13 total. Small seemed to try to make a great play several times and it just didn’t come together. Still, with what he brings to the table you can certainly live with it.
–West Virginia outrebounded TCU 29-28 and is now 11-0 when they win that margin this season.
–Hello, Sencire Harris! Typically known for his defense and he continued to frustrate TCU in this game on that end, Harris was aggressive on the offensive end especially in the first half scoring 11 points on 5-6 shooting. The Mountaineers started this game a little sluggish before that major run and it was Harris being aggressive and taking the ball to the rim that kick started things. West Virginia needs scoring options outside of Small and when you get this type of effort from Harris it’s a major plus. He finished with a career high 13 points in this game and was a team high +19 overall.
–While Joe Yesufu dealt with what appeared to be some cramping, he continued to be a reliable scoring option. The senior had 14 points and contributed with some big shots. Yesufu also had 6 rebounds in this game despite being down on the floor twice with injuries. His three after TCU had cut the lead down to single digits might have been the dagger.
--Didn't have West Virginia winning by 18 points when Jonathan Powell took one shot and didn't score. But having others step up really helps.
–Eduardo Andre didn’t play a ton of minutes in this one but I felt was productive on both ends. He only had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks but did a little bit of everything. His blocks erased some easy scoring opportunities for TCU and when he dove on the floor to get the ball and called a timeout that might have fired up Darian DeVries as much as any play I saw all night.
–Also felt that KJ Tenner gave West Virginia some good minutes and hit some shots when the team needed it. At times, he’s been a little tentative on that end but was confident especially with that floater. Again, he didn’t fill the stat sheet but every contribution matters. West Virginia was +14 in his 11 minutes on the floor in this one.
–Mixed game for Amani Hansberry who had 9 points and 5 rebounds with 2 blocks and 2 steals. I like his confidence but sometimes he doesn’t need to pull it. Still, he again had a solid game.
–West Virginia only shot 11 free throws but made 8 of them. The margin wasn’t -18 this time although TCU did sit at +5 in attempts.
--West Virginia forced 14 turnovers and 10 of those were steals. That's active defense.
–It wasn’t the largest crowd tonight but I felt they were really into the game and understood the stakes. Made for a fun environment on a late Tuesday night. The Mountaineers now travel out west for meetings with BYU and Utah before returning home to close against UCF. With 17 wins, I think it’s safe to say that two more definitely gets the Mountaineers in the dance and it also is going to help with seeding. Still, this road trip is massive too and finding a way to win at least one will be critical.
