The West Virginia basketball program just needed something good to happen. Knocking off No. 25 Texas in a tightly contested contest would certainly qualify as that.
The Mountaineers scored their first Big 12 win by knocking off the Longhorns 76-73 and closing the game down the stretch after struggling in similar situations earlier this season. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but the team was able to close things out at home and record a much-needed victory.
On the plus side, the team certainly didn’t quit despite sitting at 5-10 prior to the matchup against Texas but it was rewarding to see that effort pay off in the win column. That was evident with the effort on the defensive end where the Mountaineers showed more buy-in than at any other point.
The message from the coaches was focusing on West Virginia vs. the opponent and buying in to help each other by playing as a team on both ends instead of as individuals.
“Two or three of these games go our direction and we put them in the right win/loss column. We probably have a lot more confidence right now. We’re that shooter in a slump, we’ve got to see one go down for us. We can build on it and get that confidence rolling,” head coach Josh Eilert said.
Related: Photos: WVU vs Texas 2024
And the hope is that after beating a ranked team, the team can use this as a turning point. There aren’t any off days in the Big 12 with a difficult slate ahead, but there’s a chance to build on this.
“Hopefully that’s the game they realize that we’re just as good as anybody we play each and every night if we play that way and we play that well together,” Eilert said.
West Virginia will travel to Oklahoma Wednesday before hosting Kansas Saturday and at 1-2 in the Big 12 the program is looking to stack as many wins as possible before the return of big-man Jesse Edwards. It remains to be seen if this will indeed be a turning point this year, but this was a much-needed result for this basketball team.
In a season full of challenges, perhaps this is what can help turn the page.
“We needed that win for sure. We needed the last couple wins, but really mentally we needed that win to show and for the people of West Virginia,” point guard Kerr Kriisa said. “I'm really proud we got that win just for them too. I'm really happy we showed what we can do and if everybody keeps staying on the same page this should be the expectation here.”
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