West Virginia Basketball: 3 takeaways from comeback win at Oklahoma State

3. No WVU player was a bigger plus in the box score than Kedrian Johnson – and that could be important moving forward

A JUCO transfer from Temple College, Kedrian Johnson has struggled to see time on the floor in his first season with the Mountaineers, playing just 31 minutes – with a season-high nine coming against Northeastern.

He did not see action in WVU’s games against Western Kentucky, Iowa State, and Kansas – and saw just three minutes in their latest outing at Oklahoma.  Of the eight games Johnson saw action in, he scored in just one of them, pouring in five points (1-3 2PT, 1-1 3PT) and nabbing three steals in the win over Northeastern.

But Johnson was one of the biggest cogs in West Virginia’s comeback over Oklahoma State, playing 25 minutes off the bench – and provided a crucial boost on both ends of the floor.  Offensively, aside from picking up four fouls, he was stellar, putting in nine points (1-1 2PT, 1-2 3PT, 4-6 FT) while hauling down three rebounds and dishing out a game-best – tied with McBride – five assists.

Johnson committed a nearly-devastating turnover with 43 seconds left when West Virginia led by just two (83-81) – but immediately made up for the error on the very next possession, drawing a charge on star freshman Cade Cunningham – and sending him to the bench with his fifth foul.  Johnson was also responsible for four of West Virginia’s final 11 points, earning an assist on the second of McBride’s back-to-back three-pointers when WVU took the lead, before draining one of two free-throws to give West Virginia an 84-81 lead with 27 seconds left.

In a game where Culver, McBride, and Sherman poured in over 20 points each – and all finished as positives – no Mountaineer had a better plus/minus than Johnson, who – in 25 minutes of play – was a plus-13.  The next closest Mountaineer was Culver at plus-9, and Johnson’s performance was necessary with the lackluster performances in the backcourt by Jalen Bridges (-8 in 12 minutes) and Sean McNeil (-8 in 24 minutes).

If Kedrian Johnson is able to continue providing those types of performances consistently for the Mountaineers, that adds a completely new edge to West Virginia – especially if they continue to rely on their press.  Likewise, it also provides a necessary boost an already-depleted bench.

If the Mountaineers can perform as they did in the final 12 minutes against the Cowboys, they easily have the talent to hang around with – and potentially threaten – the top teams in the Big 12.  Luckily, them potentially finding their new identity came at the best time possible, because they take on the two best teams in the conference in their next two games, hosting Texas on Saturday before traveling to Waco to battle the Baylor Bears.