Comparing How WVU Performed to Preseason Expectations

It's safe to say, the Mountaineers didn't have the kind of season we thought they would have.

Before the season began, the consensus was that West Virginia was going to be a team on the bubble come March. With a loaded Big 12 Conference and losing guys like Miles McBride and Derek Culver, things weren't going to be easy for this Mountaineer team. 

Each year, we give our preseason record predictions and at the end of the season, we look back and see how close or, in this instance, how far off we are. 

Schuyler Callihan: 19-12 (8-10)

Although I knew this was going to be a down year for WVU, I figured that at some point, Huggins would find the right batch of guys to play the bulk of the minutes and they would be a No. 9 or No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. It was a season full of missed opportunities. They blew the game at Iowa State by failing to inbound the ball safely, they had Baylor beat on the road until Taz Sherman got knocked out of the game, had Malik Curry's shot went one inch in the other direction they beat Texas, and they completely folded in the final three minutes in a home game against Texas Tech. Had those four games gone West Virginia's way, they would be sitting with a 20-13 record and likely in the big dance. 

From the onset of the season, it was clear that this team was going to go as far as Taz Sherman took them. However, the 16-17 record isn't necessarily reflective of the type of season Sherman had. He carried this team offensively night after night, but a bout with COVID and missing some time with a concussion took him out of his rhythm for a few games. 

Many, including Huggins, thought that this team would be able to make shots and spread people out. That said, the biggest issue with this group was its play on the defensive end. Teams got several good looks from three, but the Mountaineers really struggled in the paint and oftentimes were dominated inside. Bob Huggins' teams typically have been tenacious on the defensive end, competitive on the boards, and physical. Unfortunately, this year's team lacked in all three of those phases, which led to the downfall of this season.

Christopher Hall: 21-10 (9-9)

I suspected this year would be a bit of a down compared to the hype to the season prior, but I assumed the Mountaineers would go through non-conference play unscathed, which they nearly did, and it would be a battle in Big 12 action to get to .500. I didn't consider how good the league was, and it was a little unexpected, but the most significant difference was not having a true big in the frontcourt.

It was obvious there was going to be a drop in production in the middle with the departure of All-Big 12 Conference forward Derek Culver. Still, I believed the staff pieced enough in the frontcourt to give guards Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil enough space to work and assumed transfers Dimon Carrigan and Pauly Paulicap would complement an already established Gabe Osabuohien. However, it was evident the lack of size in the paint hurt the Mountaineers, and it showed up in the box score early in the year, getting out-rebounded by an average margin of -15.5 in the first two games but quickly improved. Nonetheless, against the heavy hitters of the league, they got outright dominated. 

Taz Sherman finished the season second in the league in scoring, which is remarkable considering he dealt with an ankle injury for the majority of the season, battled COVID-19, and fought through a concussion to get back on the floor. Unfortunately, as a result, it hurt his consistency. Injuries are undoubtedly a part of the game, but it seems like Sherman had a bit of tough luck this season, and it would have been interesting to see the numbers he could have produced if healthy. 

West Virginia didn't have enough pieces to compensate for its shortcomings. In the past, cohesiveness was generally in the Mountaineers' favor, but seven newcomers, who the staff were heavily reliant on, didn't begin gelling and finding their place till the end of the season. 

Accompanied their flaws was bad luck; unfortunate bounces, injuries, 50/50 calls that were seemingly 15-85 in favor of the opponent, even inside the Coliseum, and an extremely deep conference, didn't assist in their aspirations. 

It was a season filled with frustration and questions about the program's future but was thing was for sure, this Mountaineer team never quit. 

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