MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A 26-game journey by West Virginia saw the Mountaineers finish at all ends of the spectrum.
The Mountaineers (18-8, 11-6 Big 12) took No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 3 Baylor down to the wire before coming up short.
They also struggled to put away Iowa State twice, a team that finished 2-21 and was winless in Big 12 play.
In between were two games against Texas that came down to last-second shots — the Longhorns made one and missed one to split the series — as well as monumental comeback victories against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
WVU gave up a school-tying record 16 3-pointers in a loss against Kansas and then turned around and blew the Jayhawks out in the rematch.
If learning to be consistent is a key for any college hoops team with aspirations of winning a championship, these Mountaineers are still very much in the classroom.
“I think anybody that’s played 26 games ought to be able to figure it out by now,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “We’re getting ready to go play in a conference tournament where you’re not playing a game and taking a day off. You’re playing a game then playing a game and then playing a game. We’re in trouble if that’s the case. We’ll be home early.”
WVU’s regular season ended Saturday with an 85-80 home loss against the Cowboys, who played the game without their two top players in Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele.
Defense, like it has been for much of the season with the Mountaineers, was the main culprit behind the disappointing defeat.
Oklahoma State scored 50 points in the paint, much of it coming from OSU guards driving to the basket or scoring in transition.
“They got anything they wanted,” Huggins said. “Truth be told, this is not a very good defensive team. It’s a poor defensive team and we rely on making shots. Look at the scores.”
The Mountaineers and Cowboys — courtesy of Texas beating TCU on Sunday — fell into an immediate rematch Thursday in Kansas City, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
WVU finished as the No. 4 seed, while Oklahoma State (18-7, 11-7) finished as the No. 5 seed.
The winner of that game will likely play Baylor in the semifinals on Friday.
The difference in this rematch with Oklahoma State? Cunningham (ankle) and Likekele (hand) are both expected to suit up.
They combined for 47 points in Oklahoma State’s first meeting against WVU this season, a game the Mountaineers erased a 19-point deficit in the second half to win by three points.
“It all comes down to our defense,” WVU guard Taz Sherman said. “It may not have been our offense this year, it’s mainly been our defense. We really have to tighten up on that before the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”
That begs the question: Can WVU really just suddenly turn its defensive fortunes around?
WVU will enter the Big 12 Tournament this week allowing 72.1 points per game (8th in the Big 12) and opponents are shooting 44.2% (also 8th) from the floor.
If not, then the Mountaineers have already determined the type of team they’ve become heading into the postseason.
They will be dependent on offense and outscoring other teams in old-fashioned shoot-outs, one capable of beating any team in the league with their offense, but also come up short, because of its defense.
Sean McNeil, Deuce McBride and Taz Sherman will have to continue to make shots from the outside, while Derek Culver continues to score on the inside.
“This team lives and dies by making threes, making jump shots,” Huggins said. “We don’t have drivers. We have guys who can make shots.”
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