Bob Huggins used his trademark blunt style to describe the mindset of his West Virginia basketball team as they prepare for the Big 12 Tournament.
“They want to win something. They want to be able to hang a banner. And winning the tournament here would hang a banner,” he said.
The Mountaineers have advanced to the finals on three separate occasions from 2016-18 but have fallen each time to Kansas twice and Iowa State. The program has almost gotten there, but hasn’t been able to make it over the hump which has made this a goal for this year’s edition of the team.
But if that has any chance of happening West Virginia is going to have to first get past an Oklahoma club that has dominated them in the first two meetings winning by 21 points combined and essentially controlling each match up from start to finish.
In fact, it was the first loss to the Sooners on the road Feb. 8 that started the slide that would see the program drop six of seven games including the rematch later that month in Morgantown.
“We kind of got them started and almost led to our demise,” Huggins said.
But this is a different team than the one that squared off against the Sooners in the first two meetings as the team has been able to mature down the stretch. This West Virginia club enters the Big 12 Tournament with consecutive wins putting some life back into them down the stretch.
“I think they’ve grown up a lot,” he said.
But talk is cheap this time of the year and if West Virginia wants to possibly hang a banner by the time the tournament concludes Saturday, the Mountaineers need to find some answers. And a big problem that will need solved is what to do with Oklahoma big man Kristian Doolittle.
In the two meetings, Doolittle is averaging 23 points, 9.5 rebounds and is shooting 16-30 from the floor as his ability to score at all three levels has proven problematic for the Mountaineers. Couple that with fellow stretch big Brady Manek who has averaged 13 points and can hit shots at all levels and it makes for a difficult match up for a team that plays multiple traditional big men.
“They have a four and five that really play like guards. So really just getting over the screens,” senior guard Jermaine Haley said. “As guards fighting over the screens and making sure that the bigs are helping but getting back on their man and having help side on the shooters as well.”
Sophomore Derek Culver put some of the responsibility for allowing the bigs to have success on himself after struggling with paying attention to detail and losing his man to allow open shots.
“Attention to detail will be big when it comes to playing against them,” Culver said.
The Sooners excel at spreading the floor and using ball screens and have gone 15-36 from deep over the first two games this season showcasing that ability. Making sure that when hedging those ball screens the bigs are able to get back with their man is essential as well.
The Mountaineers have momentum but that will only take you so far. Now, it’s about putting it together on the floor in order to keep alive the dream of surviving and advancing.
West Virginia is 2-0 all-time against the Sooners in the Big 12 Tournament and tip-off is set for around 9 p.m. with the game set to be televised on ESPN2.
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