The West Virginia Mountaineers (19-13, 10-10 Big 12) had their dreams of a Big 12 championship cut short on Wednesday afternoon after a 67-60 upset loss to the Colorado Buffaloes (14-19, 3-17 Big 12). The Mountaineers had previously defeated Colorado 78-70 in January, who finished last in the regular season Big 12 standings.
Turnovers Plague Mountaineers
West Virginia and Colorado shot comparatively the same throughout the course of the game, with the Mountaineers making 21 shots to the Buffaloes 22, and having 6 made three’s to Colorado’s 5. Despite these close numbers, the Mountaineers gave the Buffaloes a distinct edge by committing 15 total turnovers throughout the afternoon, leading to 17 Colorado points. West Virginia also shot an abysmal 66.7% from the free throw line, while Colorado converted 81.8% on 15 Mountaineers fouls. Colorado managed to pour in an efficient second half, outscoring West Virginia 44-31 on 61% shooting.
Individual Production
Although all 8 players that stepped on the court for West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon managed to score, only 2 Mountaineers were able to post double digit efforts. Senior guard Tobi Okani recorded 11 points on 4/7 shooting, and star senior Javon Small had a game high 23 points on 7/15 shooting, including 4 makes from behind the arc. Sophomore forward Amani Hansberry had a team high 6 rebounds.
DeVries Post Game Comments
“The biggest thing for us is we’re going to have another opportunity to play” Head Coach Darian DeVries said after the game. “We’re going to have a chance to go back, regroup, and reset things, and focus on some of the things we need to clean up and come back and get our minds right”. Speaking on miscues and Colorado’s strong second half, DeVries commented “There was some sloppy action in the second half when we tried to throw it inside. We’ve been pretty good all year against double teams, and we weren’t as aggressive defensively as we needed to be.”
Selection Sunday
West Virginia will now tune in to “Selection Sunday” with more nervousness than previously anticipated, as the Mountaineers hope to get into the 68 team NCAA Tournament. Coverage begins March 16th at 6 pm EST on CBS.
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