Big 12 Basketball: What is the ceiling for each program for 2018-19?
By Chris Kern
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers had a great season last year. They made the NCAA tournament as a 4 seed before losing to the eventual champion Villanova Wildcats in the Sweet 16.
This team brings back a lot of key players but they have two huge losses in the backcourt. Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. both graduated which leaves the Mountaineers without their two leading scorers from a year ago.
They bring back a lot of younger guys who will be more experienced and capable of having more success. Esa Ahmad is the only senior on the team this season. He averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game but did miss some time as he played in just 21 games.
They have a few juniors who are going to have big years for the team this season, most notably Sagaba Konate. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game.
When you have tough-minded, talented guys like those two you have a shot to be pretty special. With the full-court press defense, they run they’ll need a couple young guys to step up and be relied on to play minutes.
The West Virginia recruiting class features four-stars Derek Culver and Jordan McCabe. They also bring in two quality junior college guys who can contribute.
When you have this kind of talent on your team you got a shot to be special. It’s gonna be tough to replace Carter and Miles but when you are coached by Bob Huggins and have the type of roster that they do then you are going to be a tournament team.
They are good enough to earn a four or five seed in the NCAA tournament. They can win a game or two but it’s tough to see them do much more. They’ll need better guard play from guys who just haven’t proven they can do so.