West Virginia snapped a streak of six losses in seven games by going on the road and beating Iowa State 77-71 in a hard fought battle.
The Mountaineers moved to 20-10 on the season and recorded the first road win since Jan. 6. We break down what unfolded by looking at key stats and elements from the game that ultimately led to the result.
--Give this team a lot of credit. Things looked like they were going to unravel in an all too-familiar fashion after building a 13-point halftime lead but West Virginia didn't quit. The Mountaineers battled down the stretch and won a game that it had to win for a large number of reasons but perhaps most importantly was for the confidence of this team. After losing six of seven and not winning a road game since Jan. 6, the Mountaineers had every reason to let this one get away from it but showed a lot of resolve and was able to find a way down the stretch even with some let's call them curious lineup decisions at times. This was the type of win that this club has failed to create on the road and exactly what it needed to try to give it a spark down the stretch. Will it matter? That remains to be seen but if definitely is a breath of fresh air for a team that has been looking for anything positive of late.
--Look losing six of seven isn't good. There's no way to sugar coat that but if I told you before the season that this team was going to win 20 games and be in the NCAA Tournament you'd have taken it zero questions, right? Well, that's essentially a lock now but there's still a lot of work to be done and this team could end up anywhere from third to seventh in the Big 12 Standings.
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