West Virginia basketball finds a way to rally late for Oklahoma State win
Trailing 68-49 against Oklahoma State with 11:15 left, West Virginia seemed well on its way to its second consecutive loss and third in four Big 12 Conference games.
It would have been the cap to a six-day span which had seen the Mountaineers lose not one but two of their big men and a pair of basketball games in the state of Oklahoma.
But that’s when something changed. After a furious rally that fell short against Oklahoma Saturday, West Virginia attempted to do it again. This time though, it would work as the Mountaineers outscored the Cowboys 38-16 over that final 11-minutes plus to steal a road win.
“They’re all significant in this league. They’re all hard,” head coach Bob Huggins said.
The victory evens the conference record at 2-2 on the year with No. 4 Texas up next in Morgantown. After that game, there is a date at No. 2 Baylor waiting in the wings. It goes without saying that a 1-3 start could have quickly snowballed into a 1-5 one in arguably the most difficult league in America.
That isn’t an insurmountable hole, but it’s not where this team wanted to be either.
It’s an impressive feat, but even more so when you consider that this team has reinvented itself after the departure of sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe. The Mountaineers have gone away from the two-big look and have spread the floor to allow more spacing for penetration and kicking the ball.
This comeback was spurred by some great individual and team efforts.
Junior big man Derek Culver scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds while being much more active overall than he was against Oklahoma. He played 36-minutes and performed on both ends of the floor including a defensive sequence late in the game where he kept future NBA talent Cade Cunningham in front of him on a switch. It was a microcosm for the overall effort he displayed.
“Playing hard, playing hard. We had a little sit down yesterday, he and I about how far he’s come and why don’t we want to continue down that path,” Huggins said.
Sophomore Deuce McBride scored 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half, while senior guard Taz Sherman continued his hot shooting with 20 points of his own. The two combined to go 9-16 from the field in the second half and 10-11 from the foul line.
“Him in the same back court with Deuce we can make some shots and it makes a heck of a difference and it opens things up for Derek, too,” Huggins said.
Those three were expected to put together strong efforts if the Mountaineers were going to rally. But they got a surprise with junior guard Kedrian Johnson seeing extended action. He came into the game and made an immediate difference on the defensive side of the ball by applying ball pressure.
That helped to keep Oklahoma State from straight-line driving the ball and getting easy looks at the basket. He also stepped up by scoring 9 points as well.
“I see it in practice every day when he guards me. I know how tough of a defender and he guards the right way. Shows his hands, moves his feet so if he can come in and lock up another player it makes it that much easier. He understands our defense, understands the rotations. He’s going to help us big time,” McBride said.
The end result was erasing a nearly 20-point difference in around 11-minutes of basketball. West Virginia was left for dead by many in the second half but found a way to get back into it and more importantly close things out this time.
And for a team that’s still trying to find its way after several changes it was exactly what they needed to gain confidence moving forward.
“I’ll go to war 110-percent for the guys we have in that locker room and I know they’ll do the same for me,” Culver said after acknowledging the adjustments this team has dealt with.
There’s still a lot of work left, particularly on the defensive end moving ahead. But you never apologize for finding a way to win and it might just be the spark that this reinvention of the Mountaineers 2021 basketball team needs moving ahead.
It’s too early to say, but this could be the moment this team discovered its new identity.
“We had to adjust a little bit not having Oscar, but I feel like me and my teammates have done a pretty good job of adjusting on the fly,” Culver said.
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