MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Tarik Phillip’s first possession off the bench resulted in a basket, followed by a technical that brought Bob Huggins roaring off the bench.
“I’m to the point I’m going to defend our guys. Obviously, they can’t do it,” Huggins said after drawing a follow-up technical in No. 9 West Virginia’s 70-55 win over Kansas State. “Tarik got a technical for God knows what happened. I am going to defend them.”
Phillip banked in a 5-foot runner and went sprawling across the baseline. Replays were inconclusive as to whether he was shoved in midair by Kansas State guard Barry Brown, undercut by D.J. Johnson attempting to draw the charge or simply hit the floor in hopes of coaxing the and-one.
Phillip has developed a reputation as one of West Virginia’s most talkative and expressive players, especially after finishing at the rim. Replays made it impossible to lip-read what Phillip said in the direction of official Terry Oglesby, who promptly T’d up the guard.
After Dean Wade made 1-of-2 free throws in front of the West Virginia bench, Huggins kept shouting from the sideline and absorbed a technical. This time, K-State’s Justin Edwards missed both frees as Huggins emphatically clapped toward his players at midcourt.
Asked what set off the ruckus, Phillip played coy:
“Honestly, I didn’t even pay attention to it. Huggs took care of that, as you can see.”
K-State coach Bruce Weber surmised Huggins made “a smart move” considering West Virginia surrendered only one point over the next 7-plus minutes. Weber also suggested the technicals impacted officiating with K-State being charged with nine fouls to WVU’s six over the rest of the half.
Watch Huggins’ complete postgame media session above.