The evening began with Bob Huggins — decked out in a nifty pinstriped suit — walking by press row inside the Coliseum.
Moments later, he was on the floor for the first time since March 4, 2023, the last time he coached a home WVU men’s basketball game.
He shared hugs and kind words with the six seniors who were celebrated on Senior Day, before quietly making his way back to his seat.
“The guys he recruited, we asked him to come out,” WVU center Jesse Edwards said. “We’re still very close to Huggs. It was nice for us to have him be out there with us this night. It was kind of full circle to have him be there for us. That was important for us to do that.”
The ceremony itself — Edwards, Kerr Kriisa, Pat Suemnick, Quinn Slazinski, RaeQuan Battle and Akok Akok walked down the carpet — was a rather unceremonious affair.
Family and friends did not walk with the players, instead they were there waiting by the framed jerseys.
The lights inside the arena stayed on. There were no marriage proposals, like Chase Harler once pulled off; no kneeling and kissing the floor, like Jevon Carter and Dax Miles once did.
Overall, it felt about as emotional as a trip to the grocery store.
It somehow felt like a program that, after a string of obstacles and losing streaks, is simply ready to close the book on the 2023-24 season.
And then the game started.
We’d like to tell you that the script flipped for the Mountaineers once the jump ball was tossed into the air.
We’d like to tell you that this group summoned up one final great performance in what will be the final collegiate home game for most of them.
The final: TCU 93, West Virginia 81.
The reasons for a 21st loss this season — which ties a school record set in 2019 — you, by now, have already seen many times.
There was no defense whatsoever. WVU started out in a zone, most likely because TCU is not known as a 3-point shooting team.
That’s what the stats say, anyway. Only Kansas makes less per game among Big 12 teams than the Horned Frogs (20-10, 9-8 Big 12).
So, of course, TCU comes out and makes nine 3-pointers in the first half and ran out to a 40-23 lead before most people had even settled into their seat.
“They made shots, credit to them,” WVU head coach Josh Eilert said. “I said they were going to have to shoot us out of it. They certainly shot ourselves out of the game early.”
And that didn’t seem to really bother WVU defenders, who displayed about as much grit and physicality as a Walmart greeter.
“I don’t feel like our intensity and our will to win was there early,” Eilert said.
When TCU wasn’t shooting from behind the arc, the Horned Frogs were off and running, which is what they are known for.
WVU (9-21, 4-12) couldn’t stop it, couldn’t slow it down and ended up giving up its second-most points in a game this season.
“We’re just excited about how we played offensively,” TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said. “Loved our offense.”
WVU did battle back a little bit in the second half, as Edwards put on a show in his final game in the Coliseum.
He finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds, as WVU got as close as 10 points late in the second half.
“Too little, too late,” Eilert said.
Eilert, of course, was talking specifically of this game, but that statement would also hold true for an assessment of the entire season.
In any way, it is almost over now. Only a road game at Cincinnati and then the Big 12 tournament remain.
“It just happens so fast,” Eilert said. “It was a quick eight months with them at this point. Jesse, I’ll never forget going over and seeing him play with his national team and getting to know him.
RaeQuan, going to Washington and spending time with him on the reservation. Each of them, I’ve learned a lot from them, they’ve learned a lot from me. At the end of the day, our record is going to say we’re a failure, but we continue to battle and try to represent the state and these people the best way possible.”
