WVU looks to avoid history repeating itself in NCAA tournament
On the plane ride home from Kansas City following the loss in the Big 12 Championship Game, junior guard Jevon Carter couldn’t help but feel like history was repeating itself.
For the second consecutive year, West Virginia fell just short in its quest for a conference tournament title and there was of course an empty feeling throughout the plane cabin.
“It was one we knew we should have had. It was tough,” Carter said.
However, focus quickly shifted because bigger goals were still within reach as the Mountaineers secured the No. 4 seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament. And unlike last season, Carter and the rest of the West Virginia team is hoping the subsequent trip to the tournament is much more rewarding.
Call it a hangover, overlooking the opponent or just bad preparation but the No. 3 seed Mountaineers were shockingly upset by No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin 70-56. It was one and done for a team that showed so much promise and a lesson moving forward to this year’s club.
One of the biggest factors heading into the week for head coach Bob Huggins came in the area of practice as he was vocal that his team lacked enthusiasm leading into the matchup. The choice word to describe the effort was “horrible,” by the veteran head coach.
“They acted like they didn’t want to be there. I don’t think I’ve ever had a team that was that bad in practice, that consistently all week,” Huggins said.
That shouldn’t be an issue this time around.
“I said I’d throw their ass out if they’re like that this time,” the head coach quirked.
That starts with focus on both the task at hand and on the opponent.
West Virginia will open the tournament around 2:45 p.m. Thursday in Buffalo against the No. 13 seed Bucknell, the champions of the Patriot League.
The Bison finished the season 26-8 and upset NCAA tournament team Vanderbilt during the regular season. Four of the five starters average in double-figures led by the trio of junior forward Zach Brown, junior center Nana Foulland and junior guard Stephen Brown.
Brown is the point guard for the team and engine on both ends, while the two front court players combine to average over 30 points and almost 15 rebounds per contest. Bucknell also features a deep bench and as many as 12 players can see action.
The two teams shared two common opponents this season in Manhattan and Mount St. Mary’s with West Virginia winning those games 108-61 and 87-59. Bucknell also won the two games by beating Manhattan 76-64 and Mount St. Mary’s 81-65.
Shortly after the announcement, Huggins and the rest of the coaching staff got to work scouting the Bison by looking at what they’re trying to do and how they can disrupt that.
“What matchups can you take advantage of and where can we get the ball in areas where it’s hard for them to guard,” Huggins said.
If the Mountaineers are able to get past Bucknell, they will be matched up against the winner of Notre Dame and Princeton Saturday in Buffalo.
The first order of business for West Virginia in the coming days leading up to the NCAA tournament will be to get healthy as the Mountaineers have dealt with nagging injuries to several players over the final stretch. Huggins highlighted Carter, senior forward Nathan Adrian and senior guard Teyvon Myers as those that will need to heal minor injuries.
After getting down the scout, the next critical phase in both avoiding a repeat of what happened last season and making a deep run is to go back to being the hunter instead of the hunted.
“We have to get back to being the aggressor and getting back to dictating how the game is being played,” Huggins said.
And the Mountaineers have plenty of motivation to accomplish that.
“We have a chance moving forward to not let what happened in the NCAA tournament happen again,” Carter said.