Defense at the heart of West Virginia basketball defeat at Texas Tech

“They shot the ball extremely well and we did not,” head coach Bob Huggins said. “They shot 65-percent from three. 65-percent and we shot 22-percent. We gave them step-in shots.”

By game’s end, the Red Raiders hit 54-percent of their shots from the field as West Virginia struggled defensively to stop straight line drives. That led to over-helping and then those step-in shots.

It’s no coincidence that in the past two Big 12 road games West Virginia has allowed 84 and then 89 points and both teams have shot 54-percent or above from the floor, well above the 30-percent mark for the rest of the year.

Texas Tech played the role of aggressor in the contest with a noticeable fire on the floor as the Red Raiders demonstrated that they were desperate to get a signature win. That was the message coming into the game from Huggins to his club, but for whatever reason it never connected.

“That’s what these guys haven’t learned yet,” he said.

All the things that have led to 16-wins, a smothering brand of half-court defense, rebounding the basketball and hitting some timely shots were all absent in Lubbock. While West Virginia was able to make some runs and cut it to half a dozen several times, they wouldn’t get it any closer.

It’s not that West Virginia didn’t get shots themselves to attempt to match the Red Raiders but struggled in those instances where those opportunities presented themselves.

“Did I think we had shots we could make? Absolutely. Our perimeter guys had all kinds of shots that they need to make. It we’re going to be great; you can’t miss them. That’s like missing a layup,” he said.

That was an issue as well, as West Virginia failed to connect on 11-22 attempts at the rim further showcasing that lack of a sense of urgency. When West Virginia has been successful this season it has been the team that has pushed the issue but for whatever reason that has not been the case in the past tow Big 12 road games, both losses. The Mountaineers are now 3-4 on the road overall.

“You guys watched 20 games now, did we make the kind of rotations we normally make?” Huggins asked. “No, we were staring at the ball.”

This team is built on its ability to consistently play defense in the half-court as well as limit opportunities for the opposition. When those things aren’t there, the results have been somewhat predictable.

You won’t always have success in all areas on the floor, but one area can and must be controlled if this young team wants to take a major step forward.

“They came out with more fire than we did,” Huggins said.

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