West Virginia men’s hoops looks to build more momentum against Morehead State

MORGANTOWN — It was just one step in the right direction, that was how WVU men’s basketball guard Erik Stevenson classified West Virginia’s victory against rival Pitt last week.

It was a step, head coach Bob Huggns said, that began to take form this summer, as nine new players rolled onto campus wondering what the team would look like.

“It’s hard to bring in new guys in and try to mold them all together when they don’t know each other,” Huggins said. “These guys have been great. They were around all summer, so they got to know each other and know what guys are good at and what they’re not good at.”

With the changes came questions from those outside of the program.

Who are these guys? Can they play together as a team? Can they rebound and score?

Then came that 81-56 blowout of the Panthers, in which WVU shot nearly 53% from the field, dominated in the paint and showed off its depth with 42 points from the bench.

Along the way, maybe some of those questions were answered.

“I think we answered a few, but I also think it’s early,” Stevenson said. “I think we answered the question that we’re going to play hard on every possession. We’re going to battle and keep fighting and scrapping. It’s good to answer those questions, but more so for ourselves to prove to ourselves that we can do something special.”

There are major obstacles ahead, as the Mountaineers (2-0) will soon begin to face a number of teams attached to national rankings.

So, there will be plenty of opportunities to put something special together.

For now, it’s a time to continue to progress and grow, which will be the task at hand at 7 p.m. Tuesday, as WVU hosts Morehead State (2-1) inside the Coliseum.

The Eagles lost to No. 12 Indiana to begin the season, before winning two games against Bellarmine and NAIA-level Campbellsville (Ky.).

WVU’s focus, so far, has been on defense. The Mountaineers are allowing just 57 points per game and opponents are shooting only 37% from the field.

“We’ve been building chemistry, and I feel like we’re pretty close to getting where we need to be,” Stevenson said. “We’ve got a bunch of guys who know how to play. We’ve got a bunch of guys who live in the gym. With those two things, we’re beginning to rub off on each other.”

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