WVU needs more than just a glimpse of the potential with Edwards, Battle playing well

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia’s best option right now is still just a blip on the radar screen.

That about covers the length of time both Jesse Edwards and RaeQuan Battle have played well together.

Just one game, the Mountaineers’ last game, a 94-81 loss against Baylor in which both players thrived.

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Edwards had 21 points and nine rebounds. Battle finished 4 of 8 from 3-point range and scored 25.

That is the backdrop to Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup against UCF (13-11, 4-8 Big 12) inside the Coliseum.

In what is a game between two teams fighting to either stay out of the Big 12’s cellar or to get out of it completely, the Mountaineers (8-17, 3-9) need a repeat performance from its two stars.

Go back to last month in Orlando, when UCF held WVU to just 36% shooting in a 72-59 victory, the Mountaineers basically played without either Edwards or Battle.

Edwards was still sitting out with a wrist injury then, while Battle picked up two technical fouls and was ejected from the game after struggling over 19 minutes.

If the duo continues to blossom, WVU hopes the outcome will be different a second time around.

“We’re trying to figure out how we maximize our potential as we finish the season,” WVU head coach Josh Eilert said during a Zoom call on Monday. “The games we have remaining and the conference tournament, the biggest things I like to look at is what we can control.”

Eilert said a deep dive from the analytics department showed WVU’s game efficiency was much better when it’s able to hold onto the ball and not give up easy points at the other end.

In other words, no stupid turnovers and score the ball.

Sounds simple enough, which is where Battle and Edwards come into play.

“We need consistency out of four or five guys,” Eilert said. “It can’t just be two guys. We can’t be a one or two-sided attack. We’ve got to have four or five lethal options out there.”

The difference is Battle and Edwards did it against Baylor. While ranked No. 11 in the country, the Bears are not built around being a defensive powerhouse. Opponents are shooting 45.3% against Baylor this season, last in the conference.

UCF is built differently, as the Knights allow just 66.5 points per game, and they lead the Big 12 with 128 blocked shots.

UCF big man Ibrahima Diallo dominated the Mountaineers in the first meeting, finishing with a season-high 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocks.

“Sometimes in that game, I felt like we were disjointed in a lot of ways, and we weren’t on the same page,” Eilert said. “That’s a credit to how they were playing us defensively.

“We have to understand that Diallo is one of the best shot blockers in the league and we need to drive and kick rather than trying to go through these guys.”