MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The matchup zone West Virginia used to stifle TCU during the second half Saturday featured a curious twist with 6-foot-9 freshman Nathan Adrian playing out front.
It proved effective—far more than did West Virginia’s man-to-man defense—and TCU shot only 29 percent during the final 20 minutes. West Virginia ran away during the final 12 minutes for an 81-59 victory.
“I think Nate on the top takes away vision,” Huggins said. “You’ve got a 6-8, 6-9 guy with long arms … so it’s hard to see, it’s hard for (passers) to find people. Nate out there on 6-foot guys—it’s hard for them to throw it around him.
“Nate’s been pretty good defensively all year.”
Adrian also pitched in on the offensive end with 14 points, jut two off his season high.
Watch Huggins’ complete postgame news conference, in which he discusses the contributions made by two other freshmen, Chase Conner and Devin Williams.