What stands out most about West Virginia’s 81-49 thrashing of TCU at home Tuesday night is how no one thing stands out.
You don’t often use the team “businesslike” to describe a 32-point win but that’s exactly what it looked and felt like. That’s the biggest takeaway from the Mountaineers domination.
WVU (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) overwhelmed the inferior Horned Frogs (12-4, 3-1) from the outset. The Mountaineers defense was stifling to the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team, limiting TCU to 7 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers dominated the glass, out-rebounding TCU 38-24.
No one thing stood out as the reason for victory because everything did. The Mountaineers dominated their inferior foe physically and showed far more intensity and energy. West Virginia was the more talented team as well as being more intense and focused.
This is another step in the evolution of a very young team. Tuesday night’s win was the type of effort you expect from a grizzled veteran squad who knows how to take care of business. The Mountaineers certainly aren’t that, but it’s highly encouraging that they are playing like it.
Early in the season, WVU was putting up performances with the expectation that each win was a building block in building a resume with the hope of NCAA Tournament inclusion. The Mountaineers are far past that now. Now, each win is a building block towards competing for a Big 12 championship and better positioning themselves for seeds and maybe location for the NCAA Tournament. Qualifying is now a foregone conclusion.
What was most extraordinary about blasting TCU was how ordinary it felt.
