West Virginia has rebounded from ‘whipping’ by Baylor

Baylor forward Rico Gathers (2) dunks against West Virginia during an 87-69 win on Feb. 7.

 

WACO, Texas — Riding a three-game winning streak that has been satisfying and rejuvenating, West Virginia owns a frontline view of the Big 12 championship chase.

“That’s what you want—it’s in our hands now,” coach Bob Huggins said. “You’re not sitting here saying, ‘Well if so-and-so beats this team, and that team beats that team then we can have a chance if we do this.’ It’s not that. We kind of control our own destiny.”

Destiny rolls across Waco on Saturday, where the Mountaineers (22-6, 10-5) hope to repay Baylor (21-7, 9-6) for an 18-point loss on Feb. 7.

“They put a whipping on us,” recalled Devin Williams, and Huggins spelled out precisely how.

“We did a terrible job in pressure and we did a terrible job rotating out of pressure,” he said. “We got down and I think we tried to catch up all at once.”

While Baylor burst out to a 22-point first-half lead, making West Virginia look anemic, the Mountaineers haven’t been nearly so shaky since. They have gone 4-1, climbed into a second-place tie in the league standings and regained their verve.

“We’re trying to go far,” said guard Daxter Miles. “Just knowing that we can beat anybody as long as we put the work ethic into it and keep playing team basketball.”

No. 20 WEST VIRGINIA (22-6, 10-5)
at No. 19 BAYLOR (21-7, 9-6)

Tipoff: 4 p.m. Eastern at the Ferrell Center in Waco (ESPNU)

Scouting the Bears: Baylor is 14-2 at home this season, with the losses against Kansas (56-55) and Oklahoma State (74-65). … Sixth man Taurean Prince (13.3 points) scored 20 points in only 24 minutes during Wednesday’s 79-70 win at Iowa State. … Double-double king Rico Gathers (11.1 points, 11.8 rebounds) lived up to his rep with 17 points and 16 boards in the first win over WVU. … Point guard Kenny Chery (11.5 points, 4.0 assists) posted an incredible plus-minus of 28 in Morgantown. The other projected starters are guard Lester Medford (8.2 points, 3.5 assists), small forward Royce O’Neal (9.8 points, 3.4 assists) and 6-9 center Johnathan Motley (8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds).

Coaching the Bears: Scott Drew is 247-168 overall and 227-157 with the Bears, including four NCAA appearances and two trips to the region finals.

Mountaineer musings: West Virginia is 11-3 away from home and 5-3 in true road games, including a 73-63 win Oklahoma State last Saturday. …  Juwan Staten (14.5 points, 4.6 assists), hampered by a blow to the back of his knee, finished with only seven points in Tuesday’s 71-64 win over Texas. … Devin Williams (11 points, 8.2 rebounds) scored 14 vs. the Longhorns, ending a string of four single-digit games in which he ha shot 9-of-29. … Jonathan Holton (7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds) scored 12 vs. Texas after producing only 11 points in his previous five games. … Freshmen Daxter Miles (6.2 points, 1.2 steals) and Jevon Carter (8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds) combined for 22 vs. UT. … Brandon Watkins (strained MCL) made progress at practice this week and could return after sitting out four games. …  Huggins (762-308 overall in his 33rd season) sits 12th on the NCAA career wins list. He’s 172-97 at West Virginia.

RPIs: West Virginia 23, Baylor 10

Line: Baylor favored by 5

Prediction: Baylor 65-62





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