Wednesday, March 20
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Grand Canyon
Photo by: Big 12 Conference
The Future Begins Now for the Mountaineers
March 19, 2019 05:41 PM | Men's Basketball
| Tale of the Tape |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Points Per Game | 75.7 | 73.1 |
| Points Against | 69.0 | 76.9 |
| FG Per Game | 26.7 | 24.7 |
| FGA Per Game | 58.9 | 59.9 |
| FG Percentage | .454 | .413 |
| 3-Point FG Per Game | 7.5 | 7.4 |
| 3-Point FGA Per Game | 22.7 | 23.5 |
| 3-Point FG Percentage | .332 | .317 |
| FT Per Game | 14.6 | 16.2 |
| FTA Per Game | 20.0 | 23.8 |
| FT Percentage | .733 | .683 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 36.4 | 39.4 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.1 | 13.6 |
| Steals Per Game | 6.1 | 6.2 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 12.0 | 15.7 |
| Blocks Per Game | 2.2 | 3.5 |
Mountaineer junior guard Jermaine Haley says it's a little of both.
It's an opportunity for the team to finish the year the right way and to feel a little better about themselves, but it's also part of the foundation that is being built for the future because the guys still playing are going to be playing next year.
"The season is not over until these games are done, and we've still got a chance to win games and be champions, no matter what tournament it is," Haley explained. "We've got a new goal going into this tournament, but it's also going to help us for next year.
"I know the guys didn't want to end the season (with a loss to Kansas) and going home and just working out and stuff," Haley said. "We'd rather be here with each other."
Huggins said he asked his guys before the Big 12 Tournament if they wanted to keep playing.
All of them said they did.
"I think it's a great opportunity to get these guys some experience," Huggins said.
Despite West Virginia's 14-20 record, its worst since going 13-19 in 2013, Haley said this is the most fun he's had playing college basketball. That includes his last two stops at New Mexico State and Odessa Junior College.
Haley said playing for Bob Huggins is the reason.
"It's just the way coach coaches," he said. "He holds everybody accountable and since I've gotten here, I've been having fun on the court through the ups and the downs."
The downs came during a month-long stretch from Jan. 21 to Feb. 23 when West Virginia won just once in nine tries. In the meantime, there were some roster deletions that sort of cleared the air a little bit and helped point the season in the right direction.
This became evident to us when West Virginia outlasted TCU in triple overtime at the WVU Coliseum on Feb. 26. That game probably killed the Horned Frogs' season and their NCAA Tournament aspirations, but it also provided much-needed life for West Virginia.
Since then, the Mountaineers have added three more victories in the W column and have been in all six games they've played – five of those coming against NCAA Tournament teams.
West Virginia's last two performances at the Coliseum have been extremely impressive victories over TCU and Big 12 Tournament champion Iowa State.
"I don't know if you've been seeing the practices, but just the attitude and the vibes during practice are a lot different," Haley said. "It's a lot better."
"They're playing well together; they like each other; we pass the ball a little better, and we've just got to continue to improve," Huggins mentioned. "We've got to rebound the ball better and not turn the ball over so much and the rest will come."
The veteran coach admitted last Thursday night's Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal victory over ninth-ranked Texas Tech was probably the closest this team has come to playing to its full potential this season.
Even then, he indicated there was still room for growth.
"After we got them down, they became extremely, extremely physical, and we didn't respond to it very well," Huggins explained. "There was a timeout, and they were generally upset with themselves that they let (Texas Tech's) physicality bother them.
"They came out and were a lot more physical themselves – probably as physical as they can be," Huggins added.
"I think, in spite of all of the things that have been happening to us this year, the last few games and especially in the conference tournament, we have something now we can hold our heads up and be proud about," Haley added.
Another strong performance on Wednesday night against a very solid Grand Canyon team with 20 victories that came one game short of reaching the NCAA Tournament will only add to it.
"We're building better relationships than we had at the beginning of the year, and we're now having fun," Haley concluded. "That's the main thing."
A 7 p.m. tipoff has been established for Wednesday night's game. Good tickets still remain and can be purchased for only $10 by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
There are no reserved seats and parking at the Coliseum is free.
There will not be a shuttle from the Green Lot on Van Voorhis Road, but the PRT will be running until 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday night.
The game will be livestreamed at WVUsports.com, and the radio broadcast will be available on the normal Mountaineer Sports Network from Learfield IMG College affiliates.
Should West Virginia advance, information for the next game will be announced when it becomes available.
Tuesday Sound
Players Mentioned
G
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