COLLEGE PARK, Maryland — West Virginia basketball made its debut in College Park, Maryland, on Sunday afternoon, and for much of the first half, the Mountaineers looked like they were going to cruise to an impressive exhibition victory over the Maryland Terrapins. However, what started as a dominant performance turned into an absolute roller coaster, with Maryland storming back in the second half before West Virginia rallied to force overtime. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers ultimately came up short in the extra period.
West Virginia jumped out to an impressive 46-31 halftime lead, playing with confidence and looking like the better team on the floor. The Mountaineers were knocking down shots, moving the basketball effectively and appeared to be in complete control of the game. For a team looking to establish itself heading into the regular season, it was an extremely encouraging first 20 minutes.
But Maryland wasn’t going away quietly.
The Terrapins completely turned the momentum around in the second half, erasing West Virginia’s 15-point halftime advantage and putting the Mountaineers in a position where they suddenly had to fight just to stay alive. To West Virginia’s credit, though, the Mountaineers didn’t fold. They battled back, made enough plays down the stretch to force overtime and showed some toughness when things weren’t going their way.
Ultimately, Maryland made the plays it needed in overtime to secure the victory, but there were certainly some encouraging individual performances for West Virginia.
Perhaps the biggest bright spot of the afternoon was Felix Bizjack, who was absolutely outstanding offensively. Bizjack finished with a team-high 23 points in 36 minutes, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and an incredible 5-of-8 from three-point range. He was also a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. If this performance is any indication of what Mountaineer fans can expect moving forward, Bizjack could become a major offensive weapon for West Virginia this season.
Miles Sadler also had some impressive moments, finishing with 16 points, four assists and two steals. Sadler connected on two of his four three-point attempts and made all six of his free throws. However, he struggled with his overall shooting efficiency, going just 4-of-13 from the field, and committed four turnovers. There’s obviously plenty of talent there, but becoming more consistent and taking better care of the basketball will be important as the season progresses.
Forward S. Traore was another player who stood out, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. Traore was extremely efficient offensively, connecting on five of his seven field goal attempts, and made his presence felt defensively. His ability to contribute on both ends of the floor could make him one of the Mountaineers’ most valuable players this season.
M. Somerville added 13 points, four rebounds and two steals, although his shooting numbers left something to be desired. Somerville finished just 3-of-10 from the field and 2-of-9 from beyond the arc. He did, however, make all five of his free throw attempts.
One of the more encouraging developments was the play of A. Seini, who was an absolute force on the glass. Seini finished with 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards, while adding six points and a blocked shot in 23 minutes. His rebounding and physical presence could prove extremely valuable for West Virginia, particularly against the bigger, more physical teams in the Big 12 Conference.
B. Lorient contributed six points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals, providing some solid all-around production. However, the Mountaineers didn’t get much offensively from several other players who will likely be counted on throughout the season.
Javan Buchanan, in particular, had an afternoon he’d probably like to forget. Buchanan played 22 minutes but failed to score, missing all five of his field goal attempts. J. Sanon also went scoreless in 12 minutes, while M. Sylla finished with just two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes, although he did contribute three blocked shots.
Those performances highlight one of the biggest questions surrounding this West Virginia team: Where is the consistent offensive production going to come from outside of its top scorers?
Bizjack, Sadler, Traore and Somerville combined for 65 points, but the Mountaineers will need more contributions from the rest of their rotation if they’re going to compete consistently in the Big 12.
Of course, the biggest story of the afternoon was the dramatic momentum swings throughout the game.
West Virginia was outstanding in the first half, struggled badly enough in the second half to surrender a 15-point lead, and then showed enough resilience to battle back and force overtime. That’s both encouraging and concerning.
On one hand, the Mountaineers demonstrated that they have the talent to build a substantial lead against a quality opponent on the road. On the other hand, they also showed that they have a lot of work to do when it comes to maintaining their intensity and executing for a full 40 minutes.
The fact that West Virginia fought back to force overtime after Maryland’s furious comeback shouldn’t be overlooked, either. It would have been easy for the Mountaineers to completely fall apart once the Terrapins took control of the game, but they continued to fight. That kind of toughness and resilience is something that can carry over into the regular season.
At the end of the day, this was an exhibition game. The loss won’t count against West Virginia’s regular-season record, and the coaching staff will have plenty of film to evaluate before the games actually matter.
Still, there’s no question that this was a missed opportunity. When you lead a team like Maryland by 15 points at halftime, you want to finish the job.
The Mountaineers showed flashes of being a very good basketball team, particularly during the first half, and several individual performances should give fans reason for optimism. Bizjack looks like a legitimate scoring threat, Sadler has plenty of offensive ability, Traore brings tremendous versatility, and Seini provides some much-needed toughness and rebounding.
But there’s also a lot that needs to be cleaned up.
West Virginia has to become more consistent offensively, get better production from its supporting cast and, most importantly, learn how to maintain its level of play when an opponent starts making a run.
There’s certainly no reason to panic over an exhibition loss, especially one that required overtime to decide. In fact, there may be more positives than negatives to take away from this performance.
However, one thing is clear: West Virginia has some legitimate talent, but it’s still very much a work in progress.
The first half showed just how good this team can be. The second half showed how quickly things can unravel. And the late comeback showed that these Mountaineers aren’t going to quit when adversity hits.
Now, the challenge is putting it all together when the regular season begins.
