MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a matter of just moments Monday night, Kedrian Johnson went from goat to hero.
That may be somehow fitting with this 14th-ranked West Virginia men’s basketball team that seems to have no shortage of storylines on any given day.
Some of those narratives have been around for a while, whether it is about the Mountaineers’ outside shooting or Derek Culver’s rebounding.
Johnson is someone new, well, sort of. The junior-college transfer has been there all season waiting, learning and hoping for an opportunity.
If nothing else, this WVU program is about nothing other than opportunities at the moment.
“We’ve had to do some adjusting from things that happened earlier this week,” said WVU point guard Deuce McBride, who scored 21 points in the Mountaineers’ come-from-behind 87-84 victory against Oklahoma State.
Those adjustments are needed, because WVU lost the services of 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who appears to be closing in on a transfer to Miami, according to published reports.
In his place is nothing but opportunity for just about anyone on the Mountaineers’ roster.
That includes freshman Jalen Bridges, who started for the second time and came away with 19 points on Saturday in his first start.
That includes more shots for guys like Taz Sherman and Emmitt Matthews Jr, and, against the Cowboys, it meant a huge opportunity for Johnson, too.
“We had no ball pressure and they were kind of standing around,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said of his defense. “Their dribble penetration was absolutely killing us. I went over to Key and said, ‘Can you stop somebody?’ He said, ‘Yes sir.’ I thought he was far and away the difference in the game.”
Johnson played 25 minutes. In his previous eight games this season, he combined for 30 minutes played.
That was the opportunity afforded him. Johnson responded with nine points and five assists and had the goat-to-hero moment his teammates likely won’t let him forget any time soon.
The goat part came with 42 seconds left. WVU was clinging to an 83-81 lead after erasing a 19-point deficit from earlier in the second half.
Taz Sherman had trouble finding someone to inbound the ball to, before finding Johnson near the corner of the floor.
Johnson was immediately double-teamed and stepped out of bounds trying to get around one of the defenders to make a pass.
Eleven seconds later, Johnson was a hero.
Just when it looked like Oklahoma State star guard Cade Cunningham was about to tie the game on a drive to the basket, Johnson stepped in and took the charge.
No points, no tie game and Cunningham, who lived up to his billing as a future NBA player with 25 points and nine rebounds, was charged with his fifth foul and was forced to sit the rest of the way.
“I like to compare him to a quicker Jrue Holiday,” McBride said of Johnson and the Milwaukee Bucks star guard. “When he decides to go, he can go. He’s really quick and he’s poised. He doesn’t let little things like that affect him. He moves on to the next play.”
He became yet another storyline on a team that may just not be ready to throw in the towel just yet in the Big 12 race.
True, WVU still has a few obstacles to overcome while transitioning into a different style of play.
Playing some defense and not making the game look like a track meet may be at the top of that list.
But, on this night it worked.
Culver had a monster double-double with 22 points and 19 rebounds. The Mountaineers had 48 rebounds and hit nine 3-pointers.
And Johnson suddenly became another guy worth talking about.
“My boy Key,” Culver said. “He came in and was a very big spark for us. Coming off the bench, he always comes in with energy and you know he’s going to play hard. Anything that Key can give you will be a positive.”
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