After narrow defeat, West Virginia optimistic for stretch run
West Virginia did a lot of things right on the road at Kansas but didn’t do enough to leave with the win.
The Mountaineers had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead but instead essentially dribbled out the clock and was called for a travel without getting a shot up.
It was the 21st and final turnover, a season high for the team, and in the end another golden opportunity escaped the grasp of West Virginia.
It was one of the best performances of the season for the Mountaineers on the road and the team battled back on several occasions to keep things close in a tough environment.
Still, head coach Bob Huggins was optimistic about his team’s level of play in a building where they have yet to win as members of the league.
“I thought we played really well. We turned it over again too many times, we ended up with 21 turnovers and that’s something from day one we’ve talked about. We’ve got to get better at but they turned it over, too. It was a game that had good players in it,” he said. “I thought our guys really competed.”
Huggins believes that despite the frustration at the end of the game his team continues to show improvement down the stretch and are playing some good basketball.
“We’ve done some dumb things that have hurt us and cost us games in the past but I think we’re at the pint now where we’re playing. We’re really playing,” Huggins said.
West Virginia now sits 16-13 and 5-11 in the Big 12 Conference but still projected into the NCAA Tournament field despite that record due to their metrics.
The Mountaineers will head to Iowa State Monday night before closing the season at home against the team they opened Big 12 Conference play against in Kansas State.
Then of course the Big 12 tournament awaits after that.
It goes without saying that the Mountaineers are going to need to find a way to win some more games to find themselves securely in the field and that isn’t lost on those within the program.
“We need another win. We really shouldn’t but we do need another win and I say we shouldn’t because of the continual talk that the committee does about strength of schedule,” Huggins said. “We have the number one strength of schedule in the country. That ought to say something.”
Despite falling short on the road and now holding a 1-15 mark on the road overall over the past two seasons, Huggins is optimistic that his team will be ready to play in Ames. The Mountaineers know what’s at stake and how a road win could almost effectively seal them up a spot in the dance.
“I think they’ll be alright. I think they understand what’s at stake. All you have to do is turn the television on,” Huggins said. “They say West Virginia needs one more win. I don’t know why the hell we need one more win with the schedule we’ve gone through.”
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