WVU, ISU Meet Again in Ames
February 13, 2015 01:47 PM | General
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(19-5)
(17-6)It’s usually around Valentine’s Day when I really begin paying attention to RPI rankings, bubble watches and all of that other stuff that is now being incessantly pushed down our throats to keep us talking about the NCAA tournament.
Well, Valentine’s Day is Saturday, I am told, so it’s time to take a closer look at where West Virginia stands with about a month left to go in the regular season.
On the surface, things look pretty good for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia is ranked 21st this week with a 19-5 overall record, which is good. The Mountaineers also have a 7-4 record in the strongest conference in the country, which is also good.
West Virginia’s RPI heading into this weekend’s action is 30, and that is very good, too.
But once you begin to dig a little deeper into West Virginia’s postseason credentials some yellow flags are beginning to pop up.
First of all, West Virginia hasn’t had a win over a top 50 team since January 13 when the Mountaineers blew out No. 13 Oklahoma, 86-65, in Morgantown. Also, WVU’s only other top-50 victory came against No. 49 Wofford back on December 22 in Morgantown.
The question is, can Wofford stay in the top 50 with what’s left on its regular season schedule?
And, WVU’s other nice non-conference wins against Connecticut and NC State don’t really have the same appeal that they once did.
The Huskies have a 14-9 overall record and an RPI of 86 heading into this weekend’s action, and they have a steep climb left to make up ground with a remaining regular season schedule that includes games against No. 99 Memphis (twice), No. 174 Tulane and No. 229 East Carolina.
NC State, with an RPI of 61, is the non-conference foe Mountaineer fans must keep an eye on. The Wolfpack have a 14-11 record right now while facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country - and they are just 4-8 over their last 12 games, which is not a good sign, but State can get back into the mix with its remaining schedule that includes winnable games against Virginia Tech, Boston College, Clemson and Syracuse.
Of course, the non-conference game that West Virginia left on the table was its 74-73 defeat to No. 52 LSU back on December 4 in Morgantown. That loss is certainly stored in the back of everyone’s mind, as was a 74-72 defeat to No. 16 Iowa State at the Coliseum on January 10.
Six of West Virginia’s seven Big 12 wins so far have come against Kansas State, Texas Tech and TCU - No.’s eight, nine and 10 in the league standings right now with a combined record of 8-27 in conference play.
West Virginia snapped its two-game losing streak (a pair of double-digit losses to Oklahoma and Baylor) with its 76-72 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night, but WVU coach Bob Huggins wasn’t exactly thrilled afterward with the way his team played, calling it “the worst performance in months.”
The Mountaineers saw their double-digit lead against the Wildcats evaporate in a matter of just two minutes late in the game, and then had to hang on for a four-point win against a team that is playing without its best player right now.
And don’t forget, WVU’s one-point win against TCU back on January 24 came as a result of two free throws in overtime when freshman guard Jevon Carter was fouled with 0.1 seconds left on the clock and the Mountaineers trailing by one.
If the official eats his whistle on that play … well, you get the picture.
Right now, Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State are the five Big 12 teams in great shape to make the NCAA tournament, while West Virginia and Texas are the two clearly with work left to do. The Longhorns are one spot ahead of the Mountaineers with an RPI of 29, but are 80 spots better than West Virginia’s current strength of schedule rating of 93.
That is going change, though, beginning on Saturday when West Virginia plays at Iowa State. The Cyclones have won 20 in a row at Hilton Coliseum, including 13 straight against Big 12 foes dating back to last year.
“It’s a tough place to play because (coach) Freddie (Hoiberg) does such a great job of coaching and they’ve got really good players,” said Huggins. “We beat them there when I was at Kansas State (in 2007), but that was a new coach in his first year really putting his system in.”
On Monday night it’s Kansas (RPI No. 2) at the Coliseum in a primetime game on ESPN.
The five remaining opponents after that are all ranked No. 29 or higher, which gives the Mountaineers a great opportunity to take care of business and get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012, or, move itself a little farther out on the bubble.
The fun begins on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. ESPN2 will televise the game nationally.
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