Huggins putting everything on the table with West Virginia lineups

Head coach Bob Huggins has held off on majorly tinkering with his lineups to date.

Largely that was a decision made to not shake the confidence of a young team marred in a three-game losing streak. Not only a three game skid, but one where the Mountaineers were matched up against two potential number one seeds and an Oklahoma club that has been difficult very to beat at home.

“The biggest thing is I didn’t want them to panic,” he said.

But now, sitting at 18-7 with only six games left, all of the cards are now potentially on the table. Even a possible shift to a starting lineup that has remained largely unchanged to this point.

Huggins is ready to at least explore whatever helps with a critical stretch of games on the horizon when it comes to how this season could come to be defined.

“We’ve pretty much had the same starting lineup all year. It could be time for a change to see if that helps. We’re probably playing guys too much that shouldn’t play as much as they’re playing. We’re probably not playing guys as much that should be playing more,” Huggins said.

Keeping a level of confidence is still important, but Huggins understands that West Virginia is going to have to explore the best avenues to try to win games. That could mean looking at a smaller guard oriented lineup, focusing on the big men or a combination of both.

Still, at this stage of the season the focus becomes one priority over everything else.

“I think we’re past the point about worrying about somebody’s feelings. All of our feelings are hurt we’ve lost three in a row,” he said. “If your feelings aren’t hurt now than shame on you.”

One of those players that could end up benefiting from possible lineup shifts is junior guard Taz Sherman, who is coming off a 20-point performance against Baylor although admittedly much of that came late. Still, Sherman had been playing as well as any perimeter player for the Mountaineers in the lead up to that game as well and has continued to improve on the defensive end.

“We may need to make a few changes just to make it a little more refreshing for the guys coming in,” Huggins said. “Taz (Sherman) deserves to play. I’ve never been one to play guys just to play them. I think you earn your stripes and once you earn your stripes you get a little more of a leash,” he said.

Now exploring the possibility of lineup changes and actually doing it are two different concepts but with Huggins openly discussing the option it’s something clearly on his mind. It could be exactly what this team needs at this stage, but the veteran coach isn’t looking to eliminate any possibility.

“There’s nothing off the table,” he said.

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