MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Maybe it was over breakfast while in South Dakota or maybe it was lunch, West Virginia guard Taz Sherman is a little shaky over the details.
Teammate Gabe Osabuohien was the first one to tell Sherman the 11th-ranked Mountaineers would be playing the No. 1 team in the country.
“And then we started telling some of the other guys,” Sherman said.
No player knew for certain the Mountaineers (3-0) would be traveling to Indianapolis to face top-ranked Gonzaga until, well, halftime of its first-round game of the Crossover Classic against South Dakota State.
WVU head coach Bob Huggins, “came in at halftime and said, ‘I called ESPN this morning and told them that we wanted to take the slot,’ ” Sherman said. “We were all excited, of course. That’s why you come to high-major Division I programs is to play the best teams in the country.”
Sherman was referring to the story Huggins told about how he saw on TV that Tennessee was forced to drop out of the Jimmy V Classic due to positive coronavirus tests within its program.
“I saw it in the morning,” said Osabuohien, who said he first thought the Mountaineers would be playing Gonzaga while still in South Dakota. “When we were at breakfast, I asked the coaches and they still didn’t know for sure. Later on that day, they told us.
“I was excited. Playing the No. 1 team in the country, that’s the opportunity that you play for.”
Gonzaga still a go
As of Monday, the Mountaineers were still expecting to face Gonzaga (2-0) in the Jimmy V Classic, even though the Bulldogs had two people — one player, one staff member — within their program who tested positive for COVID-19 while beating Kansas and Auburn in last week’s Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off.
“All I know is (ESPN) hasn’t said (Gonzaga) won’t play,” Huggins said. “Here’s what I think everyone is missing: It’s not up to us. It’s up to the health board.
“From what I understand, when Gonzaga had an outbreak, the first thing that they did was go to the local health board and did what they said to do. It’s not coaches and athletic directors making decisions. It’s the local health board.”
Since returning from South Dakota, WVU players and coaches have been tested once and will be tested an additional two more times this week.
Getting Tshiebwe back on track
Early foul trouble kept WVU forward Oscar Tshiebwe from finding much of a rhythm in two of the Mountaineers’ first three games in the Crossover Classic.
He averaged just 20 minutes played per game and shot 47.4% from the field when he was on the court.
“He hasn’t finished around the rim the way he finished around the rim a year ago,” Huggins said. “We’ve got to get him finishing the way he did a year ago.”
Huggins was asked why his big guys haven’t attempted more dunks?
“Dunking it depends on who is around you,” Huggins said, then noting that Western Kentucky had 6-foot-11 Charles Bassey manning the middle. “When you had Bassey there, it’s kind of hard to dunk it over him, so you have to use the rim as a shield. It’s hard to dunk over people in traffic.
“It’s a matter of keeping your head on the rim and, unfortunately, that’s a common problem with bigs. They look everywhere but the rim. How do you miss a one-footer? You’re not looking at where you’re shooting.”
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