MORGANTOWN — The big man brings with him a mighty ax in college basketball this season and WVU is about to find out if its on the chopping block again.
The Mountaineers close out the Phil Knight Legacy tournament at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Portland, Ore., against Florida (4-2), which boasts the talents of 6-foot-11 center Colin Castleton.
The two have met before, back in 2021, when Castleton had just transferred from Michigan and he scored 21 points and added seven rebounds in the Gators’ 85-80 victory inside the Coliseum.
So much has changed since then, not just with the Mountaineers’ roster, but in the game itself.
There is no shortage of star power at the center and power forward positions in college basketball, and WVU (5-1) got a major taste of that in Thursday’s loss against No. 24 Purdue, in which 7-4 center Zach Edey had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
A look around the country will also tell you that both Kentucky and Gonzaga have consensus All-Americans in Oscar Tshiebwe and Drew Timme.
North Carolina’s Armando Bacot led the Tar Heels to the national championship game last season and bypassed a look at the NBA to return for his senior season.
Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Arizona’s Oumar Ballo have the Hoosiers and Wildcats closing in on a top 10 ranking, while Duke and South Carolina have freshmen in Kyle Flipowski and Gregory Jackson II who are projected first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
In all, there are 17 bigs around the country who are averaging a double-double on the season, and while Castleton is not one of them, he leads the SEC in scoring (20.7) and is fifth in rebounds (8.5).
He’s also averaging 3.3 blocked shots per game, which is fourth in the country.
“He’s one of the best players in the country,” is how Florida first-year coach Todd Golden described Castleton. “It’s such a great luxury having someone with his size and abilities.”
Other things to watch in the matchup:
“Sporadic” defense
In WVU’s 89-71 victory against Portland State on Friday, Mountaineers’ head coach Bob Huggins was not all that pleased with his defense.
“We were sporadic at best,” Huggins said. “We guarded well at times. We guarded very poorly at times. I was really disappointed in our upperclassmen. They didn’t really respond.”
On the season, WVU is holding opponents to 39.5% shooting, which is eighth in the Big 12.
Turnovers
WVU turned the ball over 19 times against the Vikings, with a combined seven coming from point guards Kedrian Johnson and Joe Toussaint.
“I’m going to fire some guys,” Huggins joked. “I’m teasing, you can’t fire them. Obviously if guys continue to turn it over, we’re going to have to put someone else in.”
Health update
WVU guard Erik Stevenson went down with a left foot injury in the first half against Portland State, and also missed nine minutes of the second half against Purdue with the same injury.
Huggins expects Stevenson, who leads WVU in scoring at 14 points, to remain in the lineup and battle through the injury.
Huggins also said forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. is getting back to normal after dealing with a stomach bug since arriving in Portland.
“We’re getting better,” Huggins said. “Particularly Emmitt Matthews. We had other guys with the stomach flu and were throwing up all day.”
WVU vs. FLORIDA
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Chiles Center,
Portland, Ore.
TV: ESPNU (Comcast 174, HD 853; DirecTV 208; DISH 141)
RADIO: 100.9 JACK-FM
WEB: dominionpost.com
TWEET @bigjax3211
