After upsetting Kansas, WVU Basketball fell right back down to Earth as they lost to UCF 72-59 on Tuesday night. Let’s look at the takeaways from the game.
Individuals Had Off Nights
Against the Knights, many Mountaineers struggled to get anything going.
Pat Suemnick: 0 PTS, 0/6 FG, 0/2 FT, 4 REB, 3 TO, 5 FLS
Kobe Johnson: 0 PTS, 0/3 FG, 3 AST
Noah Farrakhan: 8 PTS, 3/10 FG, 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 FLS
RaeQuan Battle: 5 PTS, 2/6 FG, 5 FLS (2 technicals)
For positives, Josiah Harris showcased his best game all season finishing with 15 points on 5-threes and eight rebounds. Seth Wilson and Quinn Slazinski also shot the ball efficiently during their limited minutes.
It was bound to happen that West Virginia had a down game after nearly everyone played well in the win over Kansas.
Free Throws the Difference
West Virginia fans were not pleased with the officials against UCF. The referees missed a couple of calls but in the end, it didn’t affect the result of the game. UCF was able to get to the line 25 times, hitting 21 free throws. WVU shot just 6-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Knights just found a way to prevent WVU from penetrating inside the paint.
Back to Pre-Kansas
When it seemed like West Virginia could turn a corner of the season and start a winning streak, they went back to their pre-Kansas game ways. UCF is much better than expected going into the season. The Knights were voted to finish last in the preseason Big 12 poll and have set themselves to at least compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. UCF has defeated Kansas and Texas as well as WVU.
UCF would’ve been a good win for West Virginia and the Mountaineers went into the game as a 7.5-point underdog, but it was their chance to turn the season around. This team has had enough time to mesh together and they’ll have to change a couple of roles once Jesse Edwards returns to the floor. This team has talent but at what point can they turn it around?
WVU is now in a must-win situation on the road vs. Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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