MORGANTOWN — They seemed to be an unlikely duo before the season started, both having seemingly more questions than answers.
Instead of oil and water, though, Kedrian Johnson and Joe Toussaint have become ice cream and sprinkles for the WVU men’s basketball team.
The Mountaineers (8-2), picked to finish ninth in the Big 12’s preseason poll, are instead No. 8 … in the country, according to Sunday’s NET rankings, which are used to determine at-large berths and seeding for the NCAA tournament.
The only thing more surprising may be just how much Johnson and Toussaint have fashioned their all-around games.
“It’s our ball pressure and we speed guys up,” Johnson said after scoring 17 points in the Mountaineers’ 81-70 victory against UAB on Saturday. “We make guys go faster than they actually want to go. With me and Joe together on the floor, we’re definitely going to continue to cause havoc.”
Causing havoc defensively was what Johnson was known for last season when he took over as WVU’s point guard following Deuce McBride’s departure to the NBA.
But his passing game wasn’t up to par compared to other Big 12 point guards and his outside shot needed some work.
We turn the page to Toussaint, who spent three years running a high-powered offense at Iowa, but the Hawkeyes were never considered a tough-minded defensive team and Toussaint was never asked to be an offensive-minded guard other than passing the ball.
In the span of working together for just a few short months, they’ve turned weaknesses into strengths and are clicking at a higher rate than expected.
“We’re quick. We’re strong,” Toussaint said. “We’re going to pressure you and run you off the 3-point line.”
And then they’re going to score at the other end of the floor, or help one of their teammates do the same thing.
Johnson has become more than just a defender and Toussaint is proving to be more than just a passer.
Both are having career years offensively. Johnson is averaging 8.9 points and 3.2 assists per game after averaging 5.3 and 1.7 last season.
“Kedy put the time in over the summer,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “He never left and was always in the gym. He’s made himself a better shooter through the work he’s put into it.”
Toussaint has never made more than 11 3-pointers in a college season, but has made nine already in his first season with the Mountaineers.
He never averaged more than 6.5 points per game at Iowa, but his 11.3 points per game is third-best at WVU, which has established itself as one of the top offensive teams in the Big 12.
Not all of that goes back to the two point guards. Transfers Tre Mitchell and Erik Stevenson have come in and seen their games blossom, too, and forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. has found a second lease on his WVU career after transferring back to the school from Washington.
So far, Johnson and Toussaint are just two pieces to a balanced puzzle.
“I saw that at the first or second open gym this summer,” Matthews said. “I thought Tre was a (center), but you walk in there and he’s acting like a guard. Jimmy (Bell Jr.) was in there just throwing everyone off of him.
“Kedrian was back to his old self. Erik is Erik. We have so much offensive power. I think the first time I guarded Joe, I almost fell. It’s hard to explain, because we have so much offense. Every game, we’re going to have somebody new step up.”
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