Eilert notices defensive shortcomings as the Mountaineers get ready to welcome Texas.
W.Va.’s MORGANTOWN Over the past two and a half months, West Virginia has faced several difficulties.
The Mountaineers have only won once in their last six games and are 0-2 in Big 12 Conference play, but they haven’t been able to overcome most of them up to this point.
There are many areas that need to be improved, as WVU interim head coach Josh Eilert knows, as the Mountaineers get ready to host No. 25 Texas at 6 p.m. on Saturday in a game that will be televised by Big 12 Now on ESPN+. But after allowing 89 and 81 points in consecutive losses to Kansas State at home and Houston, respectively, over the past week, nothing stands out to Eilert more than his team’s defense—or lack thereof.
Although we can score more points and be more effective offensively, we must quickly strengthen our defense, according to Eilert.
It will be difficult to overcome the Longhorns (12-3, 1-1), who defeated Texas Tech 74-73 in their conference opener last Saturday. The Longhorns play in Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Texas boasts one of the most evenly distributed scoring lineups in collegiate basketball, with five players scoring between 11.1 and 17.1 points on average.
Guard Max Abmas, an Oral Roberts transfer and one of the best long-range shooters in college basketball history, leads that group. Abmas excels at the three-point line, averaging 17.1 points (43 of 108).
The other Longhorns in double figures are Dylan Disu, Tyrese Hunter, Dillon Mitchell, and Kadin Shedrick; however, Shedrick was sidelined for the Bearcat game due to back spasms he sustained against the Red Raiders.
“Due to his exceptional skill, Dylan Disu would be the starting five man if he were still dealing with that injury. Not only is their size and rebounding a constant problem, but they also switch up our defense, according to Eilert. They are among the best in the nation when it comes to descending. We need to work out a way to recover, find a match, and make all of that up.
Rodney Terry, who took over as interim head coach for Texas last season, has since been named permanent head coach after leading
The Mountaineers are last in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 71.6 points per game, a number that has significantly increased as a result of 170 points allowed over two league games. The Longhorns rank ninth among the 14 Big 12 teams in scoring offense, scoring 78.5 points per game.
With regard to the Longhorns, Eilert remarked, “They’re talented from top to bottom for sure.” It needs to be a team effort. Instead of me against my matchup, it must be us against them. I used that exact terminology with them yesterday, and we talked about it a lot. We must avoid adopting a mentality where we are playing against each other and I am going to defend these guys.
Eilert thinks the Mountaineers could limit opponents’ offensive outputs with improved communication and teamwork, but there’s also a sense of pride, as WVU’s Pat Suemnick points out.
After racking up 21 points and 10 rebounds in his previous two games, Suemnick, who was making his first career start against the Wildcats, remarked, “That was one of the things I remember most about Huggs is that he gets you take things personal.” “Is he better?” your man asks, ripping you a new one if he scores on you.
compared to you? Things need to be taken personally. We don’t always express the thought, “You know what, my man isn’t scoring and I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that from happening.” We can certainly improve in that area, and in practice, that has received a lot of attention.
In both of its league games, West Virginia (5-10, 0-2) has struggled offensively as well. After scoring 122 points overall, the Mountaineers’ season average is 67.3, which is more than seven points lower than the next-to-last scoring offense in the Big 12.
Playing without center Jesse Edwards since his wrist fractured in a game against Massachusetts on December 16, WVU has struggled to score paint points. With guards Kerr Kriisa, Noah Farrakhan, and RaeQuan Battle—three starters—eligible for game competition only for the past month, the Mountaineers have also had difficulty building chemistry.
When everything is considered, Eilert and his roster have undoubtedly become weary of the difficulties. As the Longhorns get ready to enter the SEC this summer, this may be West Virginia’s final visit to Texas. The Mountaineers could use a boost.
It’s a daily procedure. We lacked the chemistry that other teams possessed during the summer and in the typical lead-up to a Big 12 game, according to Eilert. That’s the truth of it. For the time being, all we really want to see is guys who are in the right frame of mind and who want to contribute to the solution, and most of the time, that is what we see. We are where we are now in part because we still want to see growth every single day.
“As long as we keep moving in the right direction, we should be able to compete in every game and position ourselves to win.”
Regarding Edwards, who will miss his sixth straight game on Saturday, Eilert provided an update.
Three weeks have passed since Edwards’ surgery on Wednesday of this week, despite the initial four-week rule.
According to Eilert, “He has one more week in the brace before they take pictures of it and figure out where it is.” It will be difficult to determine the course of treatment and a timeline at that point because he has not moved his wrist in four weeks. It bears similarities to construction. It’s supposed to take two weeks, but it takes four. We must act in Jesse’s best interests. We won’t give in to that and include…
