COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Kansas countdown started before the sweat dried on Jonathan Holton’s jersey.
“This is what we prepare for, the big ones,” Holton said.
The bigness surrounding No. 17 West Virginia’s opportunity Tuesday night may be expanding. Mighty Kansas already sucked some of Oklahoma’s wind, and Iowa State—thought to be a primary challenger to KU’s reign—was saddled by a second league loss Saturday. In Hilton Coliseum, no less.
So here sit the Mountaineers, still unbeaten in the Big 12 and feeling a little slighted that hardly anyone outside Appalachia considers them legitimate threats. Well, hardly anyone one except Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, who gushed compliments after his squad’s 17-point loss at the WVU Coliseum.
He prefers West Virginia’s current iteration over the Juwan Staten-fueled group that dusted OSU twice last year on a path to the Sweet 16.
“I think they’re better. They’ve got players and they’re not focused on one guy. Juwan Staten, we spent a lot of time talking about him last year—a lot of time,” Ford said before his thoughts flipped to the more recent scouting report:
“(Jevon) Carter can give you 25. (Jaysean) Paige can give you 25. (Tarik) Phillip can give you 20. (Daxter) Miles didn’t even play today—I mean, come on. (Devin) Williams is one of the best players in the league and Holton, I think, is the key to their team.”
Holton played the energizer Saturday—15 points, nine rebounds, three steals, countless screams at ballhandlers—and his postgame wind-down involved finding a television to watch top-ranked Kansas play in Lubbock.
“Year after year they build their program,” Holton said regarding the Jayhawks’ quest for 12th consecutive Big 12 banner, “but we’ve got something special here with our 12 guys.”
West Virginia’s roster sported all the perks Ford’s lacked. League-tested experience. Familiarity with assignments. Interchangeable components. This essentially was the same collection of players who didn’t have Staten in Lawrence last season while building and losing an 18-point lead. If not for The Phog inciting some iffy officiating, and WVU contributing to its own demise with 2-of-6 foul shooting at the end of regulation, the Mountaineers would have shared the Big 12 crown.
Ford suggests West Virginia will have another crack this time.
“They’re going to be in the mix for this thing at the end,” he said. “Wait and see.”
No need to wait long. If holding serve at home is a prerequisite to winning this league, Tuesday’s outcome will tell us if West Virginia stands a chance.