MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — For the fifth time under Bob Huggins and for the 10th time in the history of the school, the WVU men’s basketball team will begin the season as a Top 25-ranked team.
AP voters slotted the Mountaineers No. 15 in the 2020-21 preseason poll Monday, the fourth time the Mountaineers have been ranked in the preseason over the last five years.
Just how much the Mountaineers, who finished last season 21-10 and return four starters, rise and fall in the poll may very well depend on WVU’s outside shooters.
WVU finished last in the Big 12 last season in both 3-pointers made (155) and attempted (542) and connected on just 26.4% from behind the arc in Big 12 games.
“We shot 26% from three a year ago and that’s not good enough, obviously,” Huggins said. “But you know what? I wouldn’t be afraid to put Sean McNeil in a 3-point shooting contest with anyone in our league or anybody else’s league. He can really shoot the ball.
“Taz (Sherman) struggled a year ago, but he struggled because he had the injury and then he got sick. He just didn’t have a good year, but it wasn’t really his fault. Jalen Bridges can shoot the ball. I would be totally stunned if we didn’t have a good year shooting the ball from behind the arc.”
The importance of the Mountaineers’ outside shooting goes hand-in-hand with WVU’s inside play with Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe.
A season ago, the duo were the only players on the Mountaineers’ roster who averaged double figures in scoring and combined to average nearly 18 rebounds per game.
They combined for 16 double-doubles.
Along the way, they also faced constant double-teams and had little room to work with around the basket.
McNeil, WVU’s junior guard who led WVU with 29 3-pointers last season, said that was because the Mountaineers weren’t doing enough to keep defenders from guarding on the perimeter.
“I did that to a fault last year. I thought about it way too much,” McNeil said. “They recruited me to come in and help space the floor for Derek and Oscar and I was just so panicked, because being a shooter, I was thinking about it almost too much. For shooters, that’s something you can’t do. Once you start thinking, the chances are more so than not that you’re going to miss.”
McNeil said it’s become more about himself trusting that the work he’s put in will show on the court.
He also added that Bridges has shown the ability to be a good outside shooter and that teammate Jordan McCabe has also put in a ton of work in his shot.
“I come in every day and put up a ridiculous amount of shots,” McNeil continued. “Me, Jordan, Taz and Jalen, we shoot the ball really well. There’s no reason to think about it. If we do what we do, that will allow Derek and Oscar to do what they do, as well.”
As for the ranking, the Mountaineers are just behind No. 14 Texas Tech, as well as No. 2 Baylor and No. 6 Kansas among Big 12 teams.
Texas also came in at No. 19, giving the conference five teams inside the top 20 in the nation.
The other years WVU was preseason ranked under Huggins: 2009 (8th), 2016 (20th), 2017 (11th) and 2018 (13th).
In three of those seasons, the Mountaineers remained in the Top 25 for the entirety of the season. WVU went from No. 8 in the 2009 poll and advanced to the Final Four later that season.
“We’ve got guys who can make shots,” Huggins said. “The reality of it is I want us to be built for the days that we don’t make shots. I want us to be well-rounded, but obviously we have to shoot the ball better from the perimeter.”
WVU IN THE AP PRESEASON POLLS UNDER HUGGINS
2009-10: Started No. 8, finished 31-7 and ranked No. 6 and advanced to the Final Four.
2016-17: Started No. 20, finished 28-9 and ranked No. 13 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
2017-18: Started No. 11, finished 26-11 and ranked No. 15 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
2018-19: Started No. 13, finished 15-21 and unranked.
WVU WILL TRAVEL TO GEORGETOWN IN BIG 12/BIG EAST BATTLE
WVU’s schedule was completed Monday, as it was announced the Mountaineers would travel to Georgetown on Dec. 6, in the annual Big 12/Big East Battle.
It is the second year of a four-year agreement between the two conferences that will continue through the 2022-23 season. WVU traveled to St. John’s last season.
The Battle has an equal number of games played in each conference’s home market each year. Each home team will own the TV broadcast rights, with ESPN televising the home games for Big 12 teams and Fox Sports televising the home games of Big East teams.
WVU will play 27 regular-season games this season, including a possible nine against teams preseason ranked in the Top 25. The Mountaineers could face No. 11 Creighton on the third day of the Crossover Classic, as well as two games against fellow Big 12 teams Baylor, Kansas, Texas Tech and Texas in the Top 25.
The Mountaineers are 25-27 all-time against the Hoyas, but have won five of the last six. The two teams last met in the 2014 NIT, a 77-65 victory by Georgetown.
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