Tony's Take is presented by West Virginia Tourism

Teddy Allen is getting comfortable.
 
Don't think for a second that (Teddy Buckets, Teddy Baskets, Theodore Basketball, insert your own nickname) has ever been uncomfortable since arriving in Morgantown last summer.
 
However, he's quickly gone from the new neighbor to the neighbor who comes over to your house, makes a sandwich and then plops himself on your couch to watch a game.
 
Teddy Allen is getting real comfortable with this Division 1 basketball thing.

Perhaps we should have seen it coming when he snapped off 10 shots in 12 minutes in just his third college game, but Allen's true coming out party arrived just days before Christmas and just days after he was released from Bob Huggins' version of the Witness Protection Program. 
 
Allen played a total of seven minutes in prime matchups against Virginia and Pitt and didn't take a single shot.  Huggins, who will proudly tell you he remains undefeated in all-time matchups of stubborn player versus stubborn coach, was getting his point across.  Teddy quickly learned the right way is Huggs' way, and the result has been delightful and comical.
 
Since his coach-imposed sabbatical ended on Dec. 20 against Coppin State, Allen is averaging 16.6 points while playing less than 18 minutes per game.  That's not quite a point-per-minute, but it's awful close.
 
What makes Allen's current run even more impressive is that he's shooting a scalding 70 percent from the field in conference play. And, oh yeah, he's made 15-of-17 free throws during this stretch including a game sealing 6-of-7 at Kansas State.
 
All of this is not coming as a surprise to the WVU coaching staff, although they'll admit it's happening faster than they expected.  Allen had repeatedly informed Mountaineer coaches after signing in November of 2016 that he was coming to Morgantown to score buckets, all indications are that he was telling the truth. Although it's too early to call him a prophet, we can call him one of the fastest growing fan favorites the Mountaineers have seen in years.
 
His appeal is a combination of ability and verbosity. Teddy talks - to himself, his teammates, his coaches and even opposing players and coaches. It's the conversations with the opposing side that Huggs is quickly trying to end, and Allen's been informed that a technical for taunting will result in an extended trip to the bench.
 
Chances are Mr. Buckets will learn what's acceptable and what's not, but there's also a high probability that he'll push the acceptable meter to its max because that's Teddy. 
 
His style is unique and refreshing.  His in-game commentary is at times laugh-out-loud funny. During the Mountaineers' first conference road trip, Allen sprinted toward the WVU bench seconds after scoring and getting fouled to inform Huggins that the opposing player couldn't guard him. Those types of messages normally come from upperclassmen during a timeout, not from a freshman who runs to the other end of the floor between the basket and his free throw attempt.
 
It's still incredibly early in Allen's WVU career; he's played just 15 games. There will be highs and lows, but there's a feeling that Allen's blue-collar game is going to mesh wonderfully not only with the culture of the Mountaineer program but the entire state of West Virginia.
 
Teddy Buckets is getting comfortable, and that's a scary thought for the opposition.