×
X logo

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

You may opt-out anytime by clicking "unsubscribe" from the newsletter or from your account.

No. 1 Tennessee Not Looking Past West Virginia

Mountaineers searching for ‘focus’ against Volunteers

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins yells at the referee during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

MORGANTOWN — When asked if his top-ranked Volunteers might look past a sub-.500 West Virginia (9-10, 1-6 Big 12) squad, Tennessee coach Rich Barnes was quick to cut short that kind of talk.

“They beat Kansas, didn’t they? And, they have beaten a few No. 1 teams over the years, so if our players think they can overlook them, then they will add us to their list,” Barnes said.

Today’s 4 p.m. tipoff will be the ninth meeting between the two schools with WVU holding a 5-3 series edge.

The two teams last met in the 2007 Legends Classic in Newark with Tennessee winning 74-72.

“Our players have to keep coming out and playing the way they are supposed to play,” Barnes said. “We found that out in our last game (an 88-83 OT win over Vanderbilt). When we come out flat or unfocused then teams are going to give us a battle.”

The ‘unfocused’ part is what has West Virginia coach Bob Huggins scratching his head these days.

“I don’t understand,” Huggins said when asked about statements made by senior Eas Ahmad concerning the Mountaineers lack of focus in a loss to Baylor Monday night. “We practiced (Sunday) and we watched film twice .

“We came back (Sunday) to get some shots up. If he (Ahmad) thinks that, then he probably believes that.

“We are 1-5 in the league. How could you not be ready to play? Now, we are 1-6. I don’t understand how you can’t be ready to play.”

Barnes will, in all probability, start a lineup that will include All-American candidate Grant Williams (20.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) at forward alongside seniors Admiral Schofield (16.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Kyle Alexander (9.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg) with junior Jordan Bone (13.3 ppg) and Yves Pons (3.6 ppg) lining up at the guards.

Conversely, Huggin’s starting lineup could have as many as 14 different names listed on it when the Mountaineers’ take to the court.

It would appear that junior Jermaine Haley (4.0 ppg), who hit the game-winning shot against the Jayhawks and matched his career-high of 13 points in the win, has secured the point guard slot while freshmen Jordan McCabe (2.4 ppg) and Brandon Knapper (4.6 ppg), who scored a career-high 15 points against Baylor, have been relegated to the backup role.

Juniors James ‘Beetle’ Bolden (12.8 ppg), who did not start against Kansas due to an illness, and Chase Harler (4.8 ppg) are the top two choices for Huggins at the shooting guard with true freshman Trey Doomes providing backup.

The forwards should be Ahmad, who leads the team with a 12.3 points per game average, junior Wesley Harris (8.2 ppg) and sophomore Andrew Gordon (2.4 ppg).

However, junior Lamont West (10.6 ppg), Logan Routt (2.7 ppg) — who has made 10 starts at the position this season — and freshmen Derek Culver (10.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (2.3 ppg) have seen considerable time on the court.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today