West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins spoke about his team’s leadership, and chemistry following his teams 78-62 win over Texas Tech in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.
Clicking at the right time
West Virginia soundly handled the Red Raiders on Wednesday night, earning themselves a date tomorrow afternoon against Kansas. West Virginia has now won four of their last five, with the only loss being a two-point road loss to the Jayhawks.
“Turnovers are down, we’re rebounding the ball better,” Huggins said of the improvement. “I think we know each other better. I think we’re making plays now that we couldn’t make early because we thought they were going to zig and they zag’d. I think now we understand a little better [of] each other.”
Leadership
Huggins had questioned the leadership of this group multiple times throughout the season. On Wednesday, Huggins referenced his seniors who have stepped up as of late. Kedrian Johnson led the way with 20 pints tonight, while him, Erik Stevenson, Tre Mitchell, and Emmitt Matthews — whom are all seniors — combined to score 68 of WVU’s 78 points.
“Keddy’s (Johnson) always been a leader. Keddy’s a six-year guy, I think. He’s been a great leader for us,” Huggins said. “He’s been a great leader, Erik’s been a really good leader as well. We’ve got a lot of upper classmen that I think they know this is it and they want to make a run. So, they’re trying to help the younger guys certainly get better and do the right things.”
Kansas Prep
West Virginia faces No. 1 Kansas tomorrow and Huggins said his players are going to get in the cold tub and rest up before tomorrow’s game. The Mountaineers have never beaten the Jayhawks outside of the WVU Coliseum, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
Photo from Big 12 Conference
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