Rapid Takeaways Following West Virginia's Loss to Xavier

What we learned in the Mountaineers' latest loss.

West Virginia University head coach Ross Hodge | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia fell to Xavier in the consolation game of the Charleston Classic Sunday afternoon, 78-68, dropping them to 5-2 on the year.

Here are a few of my thoughts from today's action.

What is this team's offensive identity beyond Honor Huff?

Honor Huff can heat up in a heartbeat, but outside of that, I'm not sure what West Virginia is trying to accomplish offensively. There's no rhythm or consistency in what they're looking to get into. It doesn't help when your best shotmakers are struggling to put the ball through the hoop, but someone has to step up and help Huff out or it's going to be a similar struggle to last year's squad.

Harlan Obioha has to be more productive

The big fella was held scoreless against Clemson, and tonight, it was the same story for the first twenty minutes with no points. He doesn't need to be the focal point, but he needs to at least offer some production down on the block, or else it's going to close off certain parts of the offense. Too many times in these last two games, Obioha is unable to go up strong with it and finish through contact. That has to change, especially since West Virginia doesn't have another true center on the roster.

Is Eaglestaff starting to come out of his funk?

The three-point shot is still missing, but hey, you have to start somewhere, right? This was exactly the type of game Eaglestaff needed to restore his confidence. I'm not predicting that this will lead to him becoming fully unlocked and being the player we all expected, but seeing the ball go in and showing some aggression is a positive sign. He has the ability to be a good three-level scorer, and sometimes all it takes is a couple of strong takes to the rim and some mid-range jumpers to get settled in.

What in the world was that from Xavier?

We all knew Xavier could shoot the ball well, but holy cow, what a night for the Musketeers. They shot over 60% from downtown, many of which had folks scratching their head with how they continued to keep sinking tough, contested shots. One of the better team shooting performances I've witnessed in a while.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI

Big, Physical Division II Transfer Running Back Locks In Visit with West Virginia

Chance Moore Bursts Onto the Scene with a West Virginia Debut Fans Will Not Forget

Big Ten and Big 12 Schools Making Late Effort to Flip WVU QB Commit Wyatt Brown

Who's Next? West Virginia's Top Remaining Targets After the Commitment of Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown Reveals Why Early WVU Visits Left a Bad Taste Before Rodriguez Arrived