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What Best Virginia Needs to do to Go Further in Future TBT's

The bar has been set, now Best Virginia is looking to take the next step. How do they get there? We break it down.

Meaningful basketball in July is a treat to watch. Seeing Best Virginia, the WVU alumni return to action in TBT play and also host a regional in Charleston brought back a sense of normalcy to the state. Since the start of the pandemic, West Virginia has yet to have a full house in the Coliseum, and seeing the passion in the Charleston Civic Center from Best Virginia fans cheering on some of WVU's greats was a wonderful thing to see. 

Best Virginia won the first two games of The Basketball Tournament before being ousted by Team 23 in the round of 16. The two wins weren't easy to come by but no win in this tournament is. Every team is fighting for that $1 million prize and it's one and you're done. There are no 2nd chances and there's no room for a bad day. Although Best Virginia made it a round further than they did in 2019, they are still very capable of making a run at the semifinals or even the championship game in the near future. However, for that to happen, they're going to have to add to the roster.

When you think of a Bob Huggins team, you think of defense, hustle, and rebounding. Best Virginia had two of the three but didn't really hammer the boards like most would have thought. Sagaba Konate not being able to play because of an overseas contract situation didn't help things as it limited Best Virginia's depth in the frontcourt. Kevin Jones is still an elite player but he needs some help. For Jones to play at a high level and give quality minutes, he has to be able to come off the floor here and there to get a quick breather. This is no slight to coach James Long who did a terrific job of rotating guys in, it's just simply the lack of depth the team had underneath. 

The other area that Best Virginia needs some help in and it's obvious, is on the offensive end of the floor. They need to have one or two guys that can go get them a bucket at any point in time. Not having that guy is what made things so difficult for them on that end of the floor and was a big reason for a stagnant offense at times. Jaysean Paige wasn't able to participate due to a contract issue but someone like Paige or Daxter Miles Jr. comes to mind as two guys that could have helped fix that issue.

Finding guys to add to the roster is trickier than one would think. Not only does a player have to want to be a part of it but it also has to be allowed by the league said player currently plays in or the team the player is under contract with. It's a big obstacle that has to be hurdled. 

Despite the team's exit in the round of 16, Best Virginia gave the fans a lot to be proud of, and hosting the regional in Charleston was not only good for the state but good for the TBT as well. It'll be interesting to see who is on Best Virginia's roster in 2022. 

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