MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — If nothing else, West Virginia’s basketball season has already been full of surprises … before the Mountaineers have even played their first game.
That continued late Tuesday, when Texas A&M — WVU’s first-round opponent in next week’s Crossover Classic in South Dakota — opted out of the tournament over COVID-19 concerns.
Northern Iowa will be brought into the field to replace the Aggies and will be the Mountaineers’ new opponent.
Besides that, Deuce McBride may offer up another surprise to the 15th-ranked Mountaineers’ roster.
After averaging 9.5 points per game and finishing second on the team with 35 steals as a freshman, the sophomore from Cincinnati has already begun to draw the interest of NBA scouts and others in the basketball world.
“He has really studied being a point guard and being able to get other people involved,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “But at the same time, he is probably our best guy at creating his own shot when needed. From a standpoint of calls and interest from people at the next level, he is the first name out of their mouth.
“He has really, I think, made a name for himself in basketball circles.”
That also includes McBride popping into CBS’ annual preseason list of the top 101 players in college basketball.
McBride came in at No. 76 on the list, ahead of teammate Derek Culver (No. 92) and behind Oscar Tshiebwe (No. 15).
“The unheralded prospect figures to be a starter now after making the Big 12 all-freshman team, while averaging 9.5 points and 1.1 steals in just 22.3 minutes per game last season,” the report said of McBride.
Some 2021 NBA mock drafts online have already projected McBride as a late second-round selection.
“I came here with the goal to be successful and show I could be a top player in the Big 12,” McBride said. “I think I showed people that I was and I’m going to continue to work hard and keep my head down and just do what I’m supposed to do to help this team win.”
He came into his own last December, with 21 points in a win against Ohio State, but like most college freshmen, McBride went through peaks and valleys in his first season.
Before COVID-19 shut down the season, McBride finished strong, scoring in double figures over his final three games.
“I took a little time off and went back home after a long season, even though it got cut short,” he said. “Most of the stuff I worked on was pull-up jumpers and things of that nature. I have an older brother, so I played him a lot one-on-one to keep working on my defense.”
Since returning to campus, McBride said he’s spent a lot of focus coming off ball screens and reading defenses.
In team workouts, McBride said the Mountaineers have improved their ball-handling and passing. That could be welcomed news for a team that had 447 turnovers last season, which was the third highest in the Big 12.
“We’ve learned to play with each other better and we have a better understanding of the game,” McBride said. “We’re going to take better care of the ball. If a guy is supposed to be somewhere, he’s going to be there now. I think we’ve got used to that and we’re better at taking contact and not losing the ball.”
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