MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Welcome to the first game of West Virginia’s 2019-20 season, which may end up telling us a little bit to just how well this young Mountaineers’ team has grown up since last season’s 15-21 debacle that ended with an 18-point loss against Coastal Carolina in the second round of the CBI.
The Mountaineers will be looking to turn the page from that story rather quickly and as WVU point guard Jordan McCabe put in only a way he could, “It’s the birth of a new season and the official death of the last one, which we’ve been waiting for,” he said.
As for openers under Bob Huggins, the Mountaineers are 9-3. The three losses: An 84-50 loss at Gonzaga in 2012 that set the tone for a 13-19 season, an 88-65 loss in Germany against Texas A&M in 2017 that opened the door to the Mountaineers winning their next 15 games and rising up to No. 2 in the nation and going to the Sweet 16, and a 99-94 overtime loss last season against Buffalo that led to a 1-2 start and the 15-21 season.
As for this season, there is a lot of hope centered around the hype that comes with 5-star freshman recruit Oscar Tshiebwe and pairing him up with 6-foot-10 center Derek Culver down low, but it takes a commitment from WVU’s guards to not only get them the ball, but also have the belief that it’s OK to run the offense through the big guys in a game that is dominated by guard play these days.
We’ll get to that and much more, but for now, here’s what you need to know:
TV: AT&T SportsNet (Comcast 37, 843 HD, DirecTV 659, Dish 428) for the 7 p.m. game. BETTING LINE: West Virginia is favored by 11 points.
WHAT DOES BOB HUGGINS THINK OF THE ZIPS?
Huggins was very complimentary of Akron, which he coached from 1984-88 and went 97-46, and third-year head coach John Groce. He pointed out the Zips have three really big guys in Xeyrius Williams, Jaden Sayles and Deng Riak and hinted they might all play at the same time. Williams is a transfer from Dayton who had 17 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday against Malone University. Here is everything else he had to say:
THREE GOOD QUESTIONS
WHAT ROLES DO WEST VIRGINIA’S GUARDS PLAY THIS YEAR? Put quite simply, they have to be better at all phases of the game. That’s a very general answer, but McCabe has to become a floor leader, score more and pass the ball more. Jermaine Haley has to continue to be a solid rebounder and become more confident in his outside shot. Junior-college recruits Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil need to provide offense, but also have to show they can guard at this level. Brandon Knapper needs to cut back on his turnovers. Chase Harler has to become that guy who will hit shots consistently and freshman Miles McBride needs to continue to show that he has a solid all-around game. Throw all of that together and then throw in the fact that they have to make the offense work through Culver and Tshiebwe and not just expect them to score off of offensive rebounds and transition dunks. This could be the key to the Mountaineers’ season.
WHAT’S THE LATEST ON THE ZIPS?
Akron (1-0) had five players in double figures in its 81-64 victory against Malone University, a D-II school in Canton, Ohio. The Zips went 11 of 34 from 3-point range and as players in the video will tell you, the Zips are playing at a different pace this season.
IS TSHIEBWE GOING TO BE AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED? That depends on your expectations. If you’re expecting the McDonald’s All-American to come in and become some kind of instant savior, then, well, no, he won’t live up to that billing. More realistically, Tshiebwe will run together a nice string of double-doubles and he’ll make this team more competitive than it was last season. He’ll get his name onto the NBA’s radar and the Mountaineers will be better for having him around. That does not equal instant Final Four contender or the next coming of Zion Williamson. Where it concerns West Virginia’s 6-9, 258-pound freshman, it’s OK to have high expectations, just not out-of-this-world ones.
PREDICTION TIME
Simply going off of the majority of other early-season games, I think this game will be more of a grind than a sprint out of the gates. West Virginia may be challenged some early, but the Mountaineers win in a closer one than the point spread predicts, 71-63.
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