Big 12 Basketball: December Power Rankings
4. West Virginia Mountaineers
Dec 5, 2015; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Devin Williams (41) boxes out Kennesaw State Owls forward Jordan Jones (2) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 7-0
Notable games: beat San Diego St. 72-50
Overview: To be completely honest with you, I think the ceiling of this team might be the highest in the Big 12. We know their defense is great, and that’s been even better than advertised to this point. The Mountaineers are first in the country in defensive rating, are holding opponents to a 36% from the floor, and are forcing over 23 turnovers per game, thanks to their full court press defense. The insane depth in the backcourt allows Bob Huggins to employ this for pretty much the whole game, as they have 11 guys that average over 10 minutes per game. Their offense was the major question mark coming into the season, but after shooting just over 40% from the floor as a team last season, that number is up to 49% through seven games. They’ll get a major test Tuesday against Virginia.
What I liked: the offense
Last time I wrote about West Virginia, I was worried about their offense in the halfcourt. Last year, it was atrocious. If you could commit 15 or less turnovers against West Virginia, you were probably going to win, because when they weren’t attacking in the open court, the ball tended to stick in Juwan Staten’s hands, and there wasn’t much movement anywhere.
But this year, things have started off much differently. Not only are four players averaging double figures (Devin Williams, Daxter Miles, Jevon Carter, and Jonathan Holton), but they’re doing it efficiently as well. Jaysean Paige isn’t far behind, averaging nine points per game in just 15 minutes of action. He’s also quietly emerging as one of the better shooters in the conference, shooting 43% from distance so far this season, and pulling up from anywhere in the halfcourt:
As for Williams, he’s averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s shooting well over 60% from the field (63%), and is also getting to the foul line over 8 times per game. Much of the Mountaineers halfcourt game revolves around getting him the ball in space, where he can utilize his speed to attack the rim:
And thanks to Williams getting much of the offensive attention, Jevon Carter has things very easy in his first season as West Virginia’s starting point guard. His assist rate of 20.4% isn’t all that great, but coupled with a turnover rate of 12.5%, it looks pretty good. He isn’t exactly the type of player that can take over a game, but he has molded himself into an intelligent passer, and has been able to couple that nicely with his ability to get to the rim.
What I didn’t like: Tarik Phillip
I’m not sure if West Virginia’s halfcourt offense will continue to be this good. But even if it tails off a little bit, it should still be good enough that Bob Huggins won’t have to press every minute of every game. Which would mean less minutes for Tarik Phillip, who’s a complete offensive liability.
Teams are content to completely lay off of Phillip on defense, leaving West Virginia to have to play a four-on-five. They have good reason to ignore him, too, as he’s shooting a paltry 25% from the field, and is 0 for 11 from the three point line. Yet Phillip is fifth on the team in minutes played, because Huggins likes his defense. Whether they’re pressing or not, I would still much rather see his minutes picked up by Jaysean Paige or Elijah Macon.
Next: Baylor Bears