MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — We welcome you back to the WVU Coliseum, where No. 17 West Virginia (12-5, 5-3 Big 12) has a unique opportunity today, something more than just trying to remain in second place in the Big 12 standings with a victory against No. 23 Kansas (12-6, 6-4).
In the bigger scope of college basketball, the Mountaineers — with a victory — could represent the final nail into the coffin of the blue bloods of college basketball for the Coronavirus-filled 2020-21 season.
What are we talking about? Well, look at this week’s AP Top 25 poll. There is no Duke, no North Carolina, no Michigan State or Kentucky.
A WVU win would drop the Jayhawks out of the poll, something that hasn’t happened to Kansas since January 2009, which represents a national record of 231 consecutive polls the Jayhawks have been in the top 25.
“It’s a different time,” WVU guard Sean McNeil said. “Obviously with what’s going on (with COVID-19), it’s affecting everybody and everybody is trying to adjust. It’s definitely different, and if we could get this win and knock them out of the top 25, that would be great for us.”
It’s easy to say that it took a national pandemic to shake up the sport of college basketball and introduce a season in which new names have burst into the Final Four conversation.
But, there just may be a little more to it than that. Go back to the 2020 NBA Draft, for instance. Normally, the lottery picks (Nos. 1-14) of the draft are reserved for the top prospects coming out of Duke and Kentucky, sprinkled in with a player from North Carolina, maybe a couple from Kansas and Michigan State, along with some foreign talent.
In the 2020 NBA Draft, Florida State had two players selected before anyone from Kentucky was picked. Four of the lottery picks had played in the SEC, but none of them were from Kentucky.
TCU had a player drafted before Duke did, think about that one for a second.
Iowa State had a player drafted in the lottery, but Kansas did not. In fact, the 2020 draft represented the first time since 2000 that no player from Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina or Kansas was a lottery selection.
Those schools that build off the crème de la crème of 5-star recruits every season, have you ever wondered what would happen if maybe those top players just weren’t as good as the one-and-done prospects that came before them?
Well, maybe what happens, especially when mixed with the struggles of a viral pandemic, is this 2020-21 season.
Is it really that simple? Probably not. WVU head coach Bob Huggins was asked for his opinion on what it meant to the game not having any of the blue bloods of the sport challenging for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. He didn’t give an opinion, per say, but he did give his explanation as to how other programs have closed the gap so quickly.
He summed it up with four words: The NCAA Transfer Portal.
“I think what that says to me, is just wait until we have transfer and immediate eligibility,” Huggins said. “I think (Texas Tech head coach) Chris Beard said it the best, ‘We will no longer recruit, it will all become roster management.’ I think that’s true. I think everyone is going to recruit from the portal.”
What the portal allows most schools who are not in line to sign 5-star recruits every season is the option to go after a more prepared player. Think of it like this, is a program better off signing a point guard who averaged 16 points a game at a smaller Division I school and is looking to transfer or is it better off trying to sign a 3-star point guard out of high school and hope he develops in two to three years down the road?
“You really can evaluate people better, because they are coming from playing against other college players, as opposed to playing against other high school players,” Huggins said. “I’m not for it. I’ve never been for it, but I think it’s going to happen.”
Baylor and Gonzaga — the top two teams in the country right now — have already taken advantage of the portal in building their teams this season. Look up and down the top 25 poll, you will find teams who have taken in transfers, including West Virginia, which took in former Arkansas forward Gabe Osabuohien last season.
With all of that mixed together, we now have the chaos result that maybe some have always wished for or wondered would ever happen in college hoops. The blue bloods are slipping and dozens of new names are chomping at the bit to take their place.
“It’s very interesting,” said McNeil, who grew up as a Kentucky fan living in Union, Ky. “I had a family member text me about a week ago asking me if I ever expected Kentucky would be struggling and not in the top 25? Growing up, they were always top five, top 10. It’s definitely interesting.”
As for today’s showdown against Kansas, here’s what you need to know:
TV: CBS (Comcast 2, HD 802; DirecTV 2, DISH 4) for the 2 p.m. tip-off. BETTING LINE: West Virginia is a 2.5-point favorite.
WHAT DID BOB HUGGINS HAVE TO SAY?
Maybe a better question would be: What didn’t he say?
The WVU head coach began with a story of former teammate Levi Phillips, who apparently borrowed Huggins’ car one time and kept it for a week. When it was returned, it reeked of gasoline.
“It’s a good thing I wasn’t a smoker,” Huggins joked.
Another good story came from Huggins discussing how he feels whenever WVU travels to Allen Fieldhouse to play the Jayhawks. He compared it to a fat man taking his shirt off at the pool and getting swarmed by mosquitoes.
Today’s game marks the first of six straight contests against top 25 teams for the Mountaineers. Huggins had another similar stretch while he was coaching at Cincinnati, but said the only thing he really remembered about it was one of the games was against Cal and star point guard Jason Kidd.
What about this stretch for the Mountaineers, that also includes back-to-back games against No. 2 Baylor, as well as road games against No. 6 Texas and No. 13 Texas Tech and a home game against No. 9 Oklahoma?
“We haven’t thought about anyone other than Kansas,” Huggins said.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
WEST VIRGINIA (12-5, 4-3 Big 12)
F–Derek Culver, 6-10, jr., 14.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg
F–Jalen Bridges, 6-7, fr., 4.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg
G–Jordan McCabe., 6-0, jr., 2.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
G–Deuce McBride, 6-2, soph., 15.1 ppg, 4.4 apg
G–Sean McNeil, 6-3, jr., 10.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg
KANSAS (12-6, 6-4 Big 12)
F–David McCormack, 6-10, jr., 12.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg
F–Jalen Wilson, 6-8, fr., 12.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg
G–Ochai Agbaji, 6-5, jr., 14.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg
G–Marcus Garrett, 6-5, sr., 9.7 ppg, 3.7 apg
G–Christian Braun, 6-6, soph., 9.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
PREDICTION TIME
The interesting thing here is WVU being a 2.5-favorite is about the same spread the Mountaineers were favored by when they traveled to Allen Fieldhouse in December and then gave up 16 3-pointers in a 79-65 loss. Back then, you wondered why Las Vegas was begging you to take the Jayhawks? With West Virginia now playing at home, you almost wonder again why Vegas is begging us to take Kansas? The Jayhawks are just 5-5 over their last 10 games and have struggled. You’d think WVU would be a slightly-higher favorite. I’ll go with Vegas on this one and say Kansas wins a close one and covers, 84-80.
Justin’s season picks against the spread: 6-8-1.
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