the 2021-22 Mountaineer mens hoops season tipped off last night with an ugly 60-53 win over Oakland. The Mountaineers were led in scoring by Taz Sherman (7-18, 1-7 3pt, 18 tp). Sean McNeil chipped in 11 points and Jalen Bridges added 7.
West Virginia was out-rebounded 48-33 in total. Out-rebounded 20-11 offensively and 28-22 defensively. The Mountaineers forced 25 total turnovers, shot 39% from the field, 19% from three, and 55% from the free throw line. All things considered; it did not look good. But a win is a win.
My biggest takeaway is that 44 of West Virginia’s 60 points came from starters. Huggins played 6 guys off the bench, and only managed to score 16 total points. Huggins MUST find scoring depth off the bench.
Osabuohien and Carrigan led the bench with 6 points each. Curry and Kobe Johnson scored 2 each. As a whole, shots were not made. Games will be hard to win with these types of offensive numbers. The good thing is, the defense looked great. 25 total turnovers, not to mention Gabe Osabuohien’s energy. West Virginia is in good hands defensively.
The depth part worries me the most. Reliance on one or two starters to score most the point isn’t going to fly. Teams will take them away and will not expect anyone else to take over.
This is, thankfully, just the first game. West Virginia will find depth, will find the scoring, and hopefully will find a spark in the halfcourt offense.
