West Virginia’s 0-2 start obviously is less than ideal for Bob Huggins and company. The Mountaineers had two winnable road games, and now find themselves heading back to Morgantown for a date with No. 3 Kansas, before another date with No. 19 Baylor.
The biggest struggle for West Virginia since the beginning of conference play is turnover differential. The Mountaineers have also struggled to shoot the ball a lot more, and for a team who has relied mostly on their offense throughout non-conference play, shooting at a worse level and turning the ball over more is a losing recipe.
Through 14 games, West Virginia is 10-4. The Mountaineers had 12 non-conference games and have now played two of their 18 Big 12 games.
Through West Virginia’s first 12 games of the year, the. Mountaineers shot 49.5% from the field, making almost half of their total shots. Against Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Mountaineers shot 38.9% from the field in those two games, a 10.6 percent, decrease from how they were shooting the ball.
On top of not shooting the ball well, the stiffer competition has also hurt West Virginia defensively. The Mountaineers opponents show 42.4% from the field in non-conference play. Through two conference games, West Virginia has allowed its opponents to make 45.1% of their shots — a 2.7 percent increase.
Another alarming area for West Virginia is their three-point success. In non-conference play West Virginia attempted 20.3 three-pointers per game, while making 7.8 of them. In West Virginia’s last two games, their three-point shooting has been worrisome. West Virginia is attempting 18 three-pointers in conference play, and are making 4.5 three-pointers in their last two outings.
The decline of over three three-pointers per game made is alarming, considering that is nine less points West Virginia is getting, while the Mountaineers have lost their first two conference games by six points and seven points.
Lastly, turnovers have been an issue for Huggins’ team. In non-conference play West Virginia turned the ball over 12.2 times per game. In their last two, the Mountaineers have turned the ball over on average 17.5 times per game, giving the opposition an extra five possessions. The Mountaineers are also forcing less turnovers, a 16.8 mark down to 12.5 mark during conference play, giving the Mountaineers less opportunity to score.
No statistic is the magic statistic for West Virginia’s drop in play over the last two games. A team that sits at 0-2 now has a hard road ahead. All hope is not lost for West Virginia, but getting back closer to their non-conference totals should be a big help for the Mountaineers.
