Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Buckle Up Friends, The Fun Has Just Begun!
January 07, 2018 12:29 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Well, that was fun to watch, wasn't it?
Team West Virginia - this is still a team game, after all - came wave after wave against Oklahoma's sensational freshman guard Trae Young, who coach Bob Huggins calls the most impactful guard he's seen in the college game since Jason Kidd.
Young didn't quite have the game on Saturday night in Morgantown that he had against Oregon when he poured in 43, or the 29 points and 10 assists he had at then-third-ranked Wichita State, or the 39 points and 14 assists he had in Oklahoma's scintillating 90-89 come-from-behind win at TCU.
I watched nearly all of the TCU game and nothing the Horned Frogs tried to do to Young bothered him.
That was certainly not the case in a jam-packed WVU Coliseum as electric as ever last night.
Young still got his 29, but it took him 22 shots and 13 attempts at the free throw line to get it. His five assists were half what he usually gets, which is what Huggins said it was probably going to take before the game to beat the seventh-ranked Sooners.
He also turned the ball over eight times and the man he was guarding, West Virginia's Jevon Carter, was turned loose for 12 straight points during one stretch in the first half and was on pace for a triple-double before the refs intervened with three quick fouls to begin the second half.
Still, J.C. finished with 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds - not too shabby for a guy the TV talking heads are starting to call "the old man."
And then there was Teddy Allen - Teddy Buckets - a modern-day Hot Rod Hundley minus the hook-shot free throws, the behind-the-back passes and all that craziness.
What Huggins won't allow Allen to do on the court he makes up for with his infectious, carefree personality that is quickly turning him into a fan favorite. Perhaps it's because he reminds us of that crazy old dude at the park wearing a head band and mismatched socks that nobody could ever guard! Or, maybe he's just OUR stable genius.
Whatever it is, no one has been able to guard Buckets so far. If you have any doubts, just ask Teddy the next time you run into him.
Huggins constantly talks about his desire of getting that old Boston Celtics "pop" off the bench. He had it a few years ago with Jayean Paige and he's got it once again with this guy.
Once Huggins got Buckets to realize his game was better suited around the goal right now and not out beyond the 3-point line T.B. has become a revelation for the Mountaineers. He scored 15 in WVU's road win at Oklahoma State, had 22 last Monday at Kansas State and scored 20 on 9-of-11 shooting against the Sooners.
The person who seemed to be the most stunned with Allen's 20 was his coach, who admitted as much afterward during his postgame radio show.
Lamont West was Lamont West, knocking down those silky-smooth jumpers from the outside requiring the bigs to move away from the rim where emerging force Sagaba Konate was able to play one of the best all-around games of his young career - 16 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Konate, still an infant to the game, doesn't have a clue how good he can be but he's fortunate to have a man in Huggins to show him the way. If he listens, who knows, maybe another one of those great Huggins bigs could be in the offing?
And then there was little old Beetle Bolden taking those charges and getting tossed around like a rag doll once again, but getting right back up looking for more.
How about the job Beetle did running the point when J.C. picked up foul numbers 2, 3 and 4 in conspiratorially rapid succession when Young began complaining to the officials?
All Bolden did was run the team for more than 10 minutes when Carter had to go to the bench with 13:30 remaining. The score at the time was Oklahoma 53, West Virginia 51.
When Carter returned to the floor with 3:43 remaining the Mountaineers were leading 76-68. That's 27 points for the good guys and just 15 for the No. 1 scoring offense in college basketball, by the way.
"Beetle is getting better and better," Huggins said.
Jevon Carter didn't win this game. Teddy Allen didn't win this game. Sagaba Konate didn't win it, nor did Lamont West, Daxter Miles Jr., Wesley Harris, Beetle Bolden, Magic Bender nor Chase Harler.
Bob Huggins, Ron Everhart (the coach who had the Oklahoma scout) Larry Harrison, Erik Martin and the rest of the staff didn't win this game either.
The West Virginia Mountaineers won this basketball game.
"We've kind of played that way all year, really, if you think about it," Huggins said. "It hasn't been all J.C. I mean, certainly what he does on the defensive end is special, but it hasn't been all him. Dax has had his moments. Teddy has had moments. Beetle has had moments.
"Everyone talks about depth and how they don't have depth, but if you don't play them then you don't have depth," Huggins noted.
The West Virginia Mountaineers have won 14 games in a row - every single one it has played on U.S. soil since losing to Texas A&M in Germany back in November, which seems like a year ago.
It's the longest winning streak since the Atlantic 10 days back in 1989 when the schedule was much softer and the arenas mostly half empty. It's certainly not that way today in the No. 1 basketball conference in America, the Big 12 - the toughest league Huggins says he has ever coached in, by far.
Every single victory the West Virginia Mountaineers get the rest of the way is going to be because of the West Virginia Mountaineers, not one player.
That was the message Huggins sent his team when he threw them out of practice a few days ago when they were going through the motions.
When this team plays together, plays for each other and plays passionately as it did Saturday against the Sooners, it's difficult to beat.
To me, that's basketball at its best and what makes the game so wonderful to watch.
"It's like a golf scramble," Huggins explained. "Everyone doesn't have to hit a good shot, just somebody."
You can go a long way these days when you play like that. If you don't believe me, just ask Jay Wright. He had a team like this a few years ago at Villanova, and might have another one like it this year, too.
So, buckle up my friends, because the fun has just begun!
Team West Virginia - this is still a team game, after all - came wave after wave against Oklahoma's sensational freshman guard Trae Young, who coach Bob Huggins calls the most impactful guard he's seen in the college game since Jason Kidd.
Young didn't quite have the game on Saturday night in Morgantown that he had against Oregon when he poured in 43, or the 29 points and 10 assists he had at then-third-ranked Wichita State, or the 39 points and 14 assists he had in Oklahoma's scintillating 90-89 come-from-behind win at TCU.
I watched nearly all of the TCU game and nothing the Horned Frogs tried to do to Young bothered him.
That was certainly not the case in a jam-packed WVU Coliseum as electric as ever last night.
Young still got his 29, but it took him 22 shots and 13 attempts at the free throw line to get it. His five assists were half what he usually gets, which is what Huggins said it was probably going to take before the game to beat the seventh-ranked Sooners.
He also turned the ball over eight times and the man he was guarding, West Virginia's Jevon Carter, was turned loose for 12 straight points during one stretch in the first half and was on pace for a triple-double before the refs intervened with three quick fouls to begin the second half.
Still, J.C. finished with 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds - not too shabby for a guy the TV talking heads are starting to call "the old man."
And then there was Teddy Allen - Teddy Buckets - a modern-day Hot Rod Hundley minus the hook-shot free throws, the behind-the-back passes and all that craziness.
What Huggins won't allow Allen to do on the court he makes up for with his infectious, carefree personality that is quickly turning him into a fan favorite. Perhaps it's because he reminds us of that crazy old dude at the park wearing a head band and mismatched socks that nobody could ever guard! Or, maybe he's just OUR stable genius.
Whatever it is, no one has been able to guard Buckets so far. If you have any doubts, just ask Teddy the next time you run into him.
Huggins constantly talks about his desire of getting that old Boston Celtics "pop" off the bench. He had it a few years ago with Jayean Paige and he's got it once again with this guy.
Once Huggins got Buckets to realize his game was better suited around the goal right now and not out beyond the 3-point line T.B. has become a revelation for the Mountaineers. He scored 15 in WVU's road win at Oklahoma State, had 22 last Monday at Kansas State and scored 20 on 9-of-11 shooting against the Sooners.
The person who seemed to be the most stunned with Allen's 20 was his coach, who admitted as much afterward during his postgame radio show.
Lamont West was Lamont West, knocking down those silky-smooth jumpers from the outside requiring the bigs to move away from the rim where emerging force Sagaba Konate was able to play one of the best all-around games of his young career - 16 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Konate, still an infant to the game, doesn't have a clue how good he can be but he's fortunate to have a man in Huggins to show him the way. If he listens, who knows, maybe another one of those great Huggins bigs could be in the offing?
And then there was little old Beetle Bolden taking those charges and getting tossed around like a rag doll once again, but getting right back up looking for more.
How about the job Beetle did running the point when J.C. picked up foul numbers 2, 3 and 4 in conspiratorially rapid succession when Young began complaining to the officials?
All Bolden did was run the team for more than 10 minutes when Carter had to go to the bench with 13:30 remaining. The score at the time was Oklahoma 53, West Virginia 51.
When Carter returned to the floor with 3:43 remaining the Mountaineers were leading 76-68. That's 27 points for the good guys and just 15 for the No. 1 scoring offense in college basketball, by the way.
"Beetle is getting better and better," Huggins said.
Jevon Carter didn't win this game. Teddy Allen didn't win this game. Sagaba Konate didn't win it, nor did Lamont West, Daxter Miles Jr., Wesley Harris, Beetle Bolden, Magic Bender nor Chase Harler.
Bob Huggins, Ron Everhart (the coach who had the Oklahoma scout) Larry Harrison, Erik Martin and the rest of the staff didn't win this game either.
The West Virginia Mountaineers won this basketball game.
"We've kind of played that way all year, really, if you think about it," Huggins said. "It hasn't been all J.C. I mean, certainly what he does on the defensive end is special, but it hasn't been all him. Dax has had his moments. Teddy has had moments. Beetle has had moments.
"Everyone talks about depth and how they don't have depth, but if you don't play them then you don't have depth," Huggins noted.
The West Virginia Mountaineers have won 14 games in a row - every single one it has played on U.S. soil since losing to Texas A&M in Germany back in November, which seems like a year ago.
It's the longest winning streak since the Atlantic 10 days back in 1989 when the schedule was much softer and the arenas mostly half empty. It's certainly not that way today in the No. 1 basketball conference in America, the Big 12 - the toughest league Huggins says he has ever coached in, by far.
Every single victory the West Virginia Mountaineers get the rest of the way is going to be because of the West Virginia Mountaineers, not one player.
That was the message Huggins sent his team when he threw them out of practice a few days ago when they were going through the motions.
When this team plays together, plays for each other and plays passionately as it did Saturday against the Sooners, it's difficult to beat.
To me, that's basketball at its best and what makes the game so wonderful to watch.
"It's like a golf scramble," Huggins explained. "Everyone doesn't have to hit a good shot, just somebody."
You can go a long way these days when you play like that. If you don't believe me, just ask Jay Wright. He had a team like this a few years ago at Villanova, and might have another one like it this year, too.
So, buckle up my friends, because the fun has just begun!
Players Mentioned
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