West Virginia looks toward rematch with Cincinnati
It’s not often that teams have an immediate shot at redemption but that is what is on the table for the West Virginia basketball team with the Big 12 Conference Tournament starting Tuesday.
Coming off a one-sided 92-56 loss at Cincinnati to end the regular season, the Mountaineers are going to have the immediate opportunity to square off against the Bearcats in the 11/14 matchup.
West Virginia trailed by only seven at the half against Cincinnati, but the Bearcats scored 56 points in the second half and matched the entire game’s output for the Mountaineers while shooting 70-percent in that frame.
It was the polar opposite of what unfolded in Morgantown in the first meeting as the Bearcats controlled the paint with a 48-14 edge in the 36-point win.
Defense continued to be an issue for this team as the Mountaineers struggled in either man or zone looks as the Bearcats were able to get uncontested looks in the paint and perimeter.
“I don’t know what stat they didn’t dominate us in,” head coach Josh Eilert said. “Seemed like they certainly wanted it more than we did.”
The loss capped a winless season away from Morgantown as the Mountaineers were 0-13 in true road games or neutral site contests but have a chance to change that this week.
But if anything is going to change the basketball team has to do a better job getting stops. That means taking pride in both individual matchups as well as with helping their teammates.
“Typically defense travels and that’s been our biggest issue. It was certainly an issue tonight, it was like a hot knife going through butter,” Eilert said.
It’s now or never for this basketball team as the Mountaineers season hangs in the balance sitting at 9-22 overall. It would take five wins in five days for West Virginia to try and secure a post-season bid and considering that this team hasn’t won back-to-back games all season that’s going to be tough.
But the Mountaineers simply need to show more consistency than they’ve shown at any point in the season. And while that is a difficult task, it could start with a better showing against the Bearcats.
“I don’t know this team has been very inconsistent with their mindset sometimes. I don’t think they’re ready to play and they come out scorching hot and sometimes vice versa. I’ve been fighting for consistency each and every night throughout the course of the season but haven’t got there yet,” Eilert said. “We’ve got new life going to Kansas City. Everybody has a chance and we’ve got to flush this.”
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan
