Before the season began West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins did not want to play both Kedrian Johnson and Joe Toussaint together. Huggins feared both would get into foul trouble and there would be lack of depth at the point guard position.
“We’ve talked extensively about that,” Huggins said of the challenges of putting Johnson and Toussaint on the floor together. “We don’t have a backup for them, so they’ve got to be smart and not make dumb fouls.”
A month into the season though, the Hall of Fame head coach has been proven wrong.
Johnson and Toussaint give West Virginia a similar skillset. Both are tenacious defenders, capable of picking up opposing guards the length of the court. Both have the ability to drive and finish at the rim, and both have the ability to open up space and find shots for their teammates.
“We don’t have a backup for them, so they’ve got to be smart and not make dumb fouls,” Huggins said. “You’re going to get called for fouls, but you can’t get dumb fouls, and I think they’re getting better at it.”
As proven last Saturday against UAB, the key for West Virginia has been this duo playing alongside each other.
Jordan Walker came into Saturday as the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 25.7 points per game. Johnson and Toussaint were assigned to the UAB guard. Walker scored 19 points against the Mountaineers, but went 6 for 17 from the field, 4 for 11 from three, and turned the ball over seven times.
You heard all week about how good the little guy is in Birmingham, and I kept saying, ‘He hasn’t seen (fifth year
senior guard) (Kedrian) Keddy (Johnson) yet.’ Keddy did a terrific job,” Huggins said of Johnson’s defensive efforts against Walker. Then when he was not on him, (senior guard) Joe (Toussaint) was on him, and Joe did a good job.”
The pair did not just shine on defense, but they also filled it up on offense. Johnson scored 17 points, one point from tying his career high. Johnson was able to be most effective getting to the basket, as he was a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line.
Toussaint would add another 14 points for the Mountaineers, as he was 5 for 12 from the field.
“Those two are not just good at the defensive end, but they’re hard to guard on the offensive end,” Huggins said. “I think Keddy was one or two away from his all-time high.”
In addition to the on-court success, many computer models back up playing Johnson and Toussaint together.
EvanMiya.com, an advanced college basketball analytics platform looked at efficiency ratings of a three-person lineup looks at the Adjusted Team Efficiency Margin (ATEM). The lineup of Johnson, Toussaint, along with Tre Mitchell, ranks third in all of the country in ATEM. Fortunately for the Mountaineers too is the lineup which ranks first in the country involves Mitchell, Emmitt Matthews, and Mohamed Wague.
Johnson and Toussaint are just getting started this season for West Virginia. The Mountaineers have two more games until conference play and that is when the real test will begin for Johnson, Toussaint, and the rest of West Virginia.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
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