MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Out of nothing more than curiosity, Mike Carey took a poll among his players to see how much playing time they wanted each game.
By the time all the numbers were crunched, Carey figured the Mountaineers would need to play in four or five overtimes each game to meet the players’ requirements.
“And I would probably have a heart attack if we did that,” he joked.
Such is life for the No. 22 Mountaineers (6-1) these days, who are coming off one of the program’s best wins in knocking off then-No. 10 Mississippi State, 71-65, last week on the road.
Carey called it a great team effort with contributions coming from starters and from players coming off the bench.
Yet, it was just one game and will mean little if the Mountaineers have a letdown.
“We’ve moved on,” said WVU forward Kari Niblack, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Bulldogs. “It was just one game. We still have the rest of the season to play.”
WVU will travel to Charleston on Sunday to face Norfolk State (6-3), which has won its last four games, but also fell to Marshall, 75-69, last month.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The game will be a sort of tune-up for next week’s Florida Sunshine Classic in Orlando, where WVU will face No. 19 Michigan State (6-2), as well as Syracuse (5-4), which reached as high as No. 17 in the AP poll earlier this season.
“It’s great to play those types of games, but you have to beat some of them,” Carey said. “It’s one thing to make your schedule tougher, but you have to win some of those games or else it doesn’t really help you.”
Carey’s mission now — other than trying to divide up enough playing time on a roster that can go 10 deep — is to make sure his players stay focused.
“I try to tell them that we’re not as good as they think we are,” Carey said. “We won a game. You play in games like you practice, so we’ve got to get them focused again in practice.”
Niblack’s double-double against Mississippi State was encouraging. Carey has expected that from her all season, but foul trouble and the emergence of other players have played a factor in her numbers.
“She could have a double-double every game,” Carey said. “She’s that type of player. It was good to see her really engaged on the boards and engaged in looking to score. Hopefully that will be a springboard for her, because we really need her. We need that force inside like her.”
TWEET @bigjax3211
