Photo by Ben Queen-USA Today
West Virginia Can't Afford to Look Past K-State
Right this second, West Virginia is soaring. In a college basketball year marked by almost-daily changes in the top-25 rankings, the unpredictability of this season makes it clear that no program, no matter how blue the blood, is safe. For a program like West Virginia that is surging back after only notching 15 wins a season ago, that can be both a blessing and a curse. The Mountaineers are blessed with a twin tower tandem of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe up front and an arsenal of scorers in the back led by Miles McBride, Sean McNeil and Jermaine Haley. While Bob Huggins' guys are playing nightmare-level defense and playing better and better half-court offense, they're also about to meet their first Big 12 opponent with a losing record and with that, potential trouble awaits.
On Saturday West Virginia travels to Manhattan to take on the 7-9 Kansas Wildcats. While the Mountaineers are just days removed from absolutely dismantling a solid TCU team by 31 points, the Wildcats are riding a stretch of four consecutive losses. Among the nine losses they've endured this season, three have come from the likes of Bradley, St. Louis and Mississippi State- programs that the latest Ken Pom rankings have at 89th, 88th and 49th, respectively. To put it plainly, this does not look like Kansas State's year.
But to circle back to the turbulence of this season and Murphy's Law reigning supreme, this is a game that West Virginia can ill-afford to look past. Just ask Ohio State.
It was only several weeks ago that the Mountaineers found themselves on enemy turf in Cleveland playing then-No. 2 Ohio State, a team that looked built for a Final Four run. West Virginia secured a solid upset and since that point, the once-hailed Buckeyes have dipped to No. 21 in the rankings after losing four of its last five, including three to unranked teams like Nebraska and Indiana. Whatever occurred in Cleveland on December 29th, it was the catalyst for a slide that has caused Ohio State's season to wither significantly.
That's the power of one loss and its a tale as old as college basketball itself and, yet, stands as a perpetually recurring prophecy. For West Virginia, it's a game that they absolutely should win. The danger lies in looking beyond Manhattan and at the next week-long sequence that includes a home bout against 12-4 Texas, a match-up against SEC foe Missouri and then a dangerous road trip down to 23rd-ranked Texas Tech who will absolutely be out for revenge. It seems strange to say, given the record of its opponent, but this is where West Virginia's season could surge or slump.
If you're Bob Huggins, you make sure your guys are aware that senior forward Xavier Sneed is a scoring threat at any point. It should also be bull-horned out the entire plane ride over that of Kansas State's nine losses, only two have been by a double-digit margin. This is a team that fights down to the wire and those are the teams that get lucky at some point.
West Virginia has an opportunity not only to carry the momentum of a four game winning streak into playing host for a tough Texas team, but assuming more calamity ensues at the top of the national rankings, jump even closer to the top spot in college basketball. It would be a staggering feat for a team that is just a year removed from complete disarray. All of this and more, from March and beyond, is entirely within reach. If Bob Huggins really has fielded a team of destiny that is only getting better as the season ebbs on, it'll be truly exhibited in the way that it handles the small things. That includes treating every game, big and small, as if the whole season were on the line.
For West Virginia, the little apple presents a big opportunity. Don't trip.
