Initial Thoughts: WVU's Tournament Resume Takes Another Hit

Rapid takeaways from West Virginia's loss to TCU.

Feb 5, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs guard Noah Reynolds (21) controls the ball as West Virginia Mountaineers guard Sencire Harris (10) defends during the first half at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

West Virginia had a 12-point lead in the first half but squandered it with a poor ending to the first half and an extremely slow start to the second half, dropping to TCU 65-60.

Here are a few of my initial thoughts from tonight's game.

Small can't have an off night

It's unfair to ask a player to get you 20 points and seven assists per night, but because of the lack of depth and scoring options, that's just the reality of the situation for Javon Small. He has to put up big numbers every night just for this team to have a chance to win. When he has a quiet night scoring the ball, it spells trouble. Heck, you can see it in the 1-2 minutes when DeVries pulls him off the floor before a media timeout for a breather. The offense just goes to the gutter when he takes a seat.

Failing to put the game away

I understand it was early, but when you're up 12 on the road, you have to put the game away. At worst, you scrap, fight, and claw your way out of there with a win, even if it's by a single point. Winning on the road isn't easy and you have to be able to roll with the early momentum when you have it.

TCU's lucky night at the line

Entering the night, the Horned Frogs were the sixth-worst team in all of college basketball at the charity stripe, shooting 63% as a team. Tonight? They connected on 20-of-23 (87%). Several questionable calls were made that helped the Frogs get to the bonus, but when the Mountaineers tend to see the game slipping away, they tend to get too handsy, which draws the whistle.

Funky looking resume

West Virginia's once superb NCAA Tournament resume now looks a bit crinkled up. While the wins over Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa State are impressive, they're dampened by recent losses to Arizona State, Kansas State, and TCU - three teams they should have taken care of business against. If they had, they wouldn't be anywhere near the bubble right now.

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