Predicting Each Game on WVU's Big 12 Conference Schedule
Christmas break is already here which means the Mountaineers will get about a week and a half off before their next game, which will also be the beginning of Big 12 Conference play. West Virginia will travel out to the state of Texas for a two-game road trip in the Lone Star State to tussle with the Texas Longhorns and the TCU Horned Frogs before coming home to host Kansas State.
The Mountaineers ended non-conference play with an 11-1 record, which includes wins over No. 15 UConn, a talented UAB team on the road, and a very underrated Oakland team. What is most concerning about WVU is the inability to score consistently. Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil virtually carried this team on their backs throughout the first 12 games of the season and had to do so against inferior competition. Once league play begins, Bob Huggins is going to need someone else to start making shots. Jalen Bridges and Isaiah Cottrell are the first that come to mind, but even getting some contributions from Kedrian Johnson or Malik Curry would be of great help.
Not only does WVU have issues offensively, but they are not winning the battle on the glass. Transfers Pauly Paulicap and Dimon Carrigan have done well at times but they don't have the length nor the size that opposing teams have in the Big 12. Isaiah Cottrell had his best outing of the season in Wednesday night's win over Youngstown State. The box score will show that he only registered five points, three blocks, and two rebounds but he was more active and played with a higher level of confidence than he has at any other point this season. Coming off an Achilles injury is not the easiest thing to recover from, so it's understandable to see his early season struggles. However, as the season goes on, Huggins needs Cottrell to do more on both ends of the floor.
The one thing going for West Virginia right now is its defense. They have now held their opponents to under 60 points in six straight games and seven of the last eight. Kedrian Johnson is doing a terrific job pressuring the point and recently caught some praise from his head coach who stated "He’s as good of an on the ball defender as there is on the country.” Gabe Osabuohien, aka West Virginia's "glue guy", has continued to be a defensive menace by deflecting passes, knocking balls loose, taking charges, diving on the floor, etc. You name it, Osabuohien is doing it. When teams do attack the rim, they aren't having as much success as they were a year ago. Both Paulicap and Carrigan came to Morgantown because of their history of being shot-blockers and have really bolstered the defensive presence inside the paint.
So, how exactly will this team do in Big 12 play? In my eyes, they'll go as far as Taz Sherman takes them. If Sherman continues to have an incredible year, so will the Mountaineers. The problem is, at some point teams are going to start denying him the basketball. The coaches in this league are too good and will find ways to get him out of rhythm. Someone other than Sherman is going to have to step up and although Sean McNeil would be the next guy in line to do so, I don't know if he is capable of carrying this team on a nightly basis. This will be a rollercoaster type of season for WVU with many ups and downs along the way. I see them getting off to a solid 3-1 start before hitting a brutal part of the schedule which includes road contests against Kansas and Texas Tech and a home game against No. 1 Baylor. In the end, I have the Mountaineers finishing the season 6th in the Big 12.
Game by game predictions
1/1 at Texas - Loss (0-1)
1/3 at TCU - Win (1-1)
1/8 vs Kansas State - Win (2-1)
1/11 vs Oklahoma State - Win (3-1)
1/15 at Kansas - Loss (3-2)
1/18 vs Baylor - Loss (3-3)
1/22 at Texas Tech - Loss (3-4)
1/26 vs Oklahoma - Win (4-4)
1/31 at Baylor - Loss (4-5)
2/5 vs Texas Tech - Win (5-5)
2/8 vs Iowa State - Win (6-5)
2/12 at Oklahoma State - Win (7-5)
2/14 at Kansas State - Loss (7-6)
2/19 vs Kansas - Win (8-6)
2/23 at Iowa State - Loss (8-7)
2/26 vs Texas - Loss (8-8)
3/1 at Oklahoma - Loss (8-9)
3/5 vs TCU - Win (9-9)
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