BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Jaysean Paige left his problems in Kansas City, or so goes the story as he turns the page from Big 12 tournament to NCAA pressure pit.
He made just six baskets over his last two games at Sprint Center and committed seven turnovers, the only two-game stretch this season in which West Virginia’s leading scorer has been upside down in those categories.
On Thursday, before the team’s NCAA walk-through at Barclay’s Center, Paige sounded confident he had identified the problem.
“I was thinking too much, and then you wind up make mistakes because you’re doing some things you aren’t used to doing,” he said. “No excuses, though. I’ve just got to go out and play with a free mind.”
West Virginia (26-8) vs. Stephen F. Austin (27-5)
• NCAA tournament first round
• Friday, 7 p.m., CBS
• Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
As Paige pronounced himself confident, he took note of the Big 12’s early struggles. Eighth-seeded Texas Tech had been bounced by Butler (“We’ve already lost one,” Paige said) and fifth-seeded Baylor was trailing Yale. Paige wanted to hurry back to the team lounge and watch more of the Bears’ game, but he was needed on the court.
West Virginia is aware how scrappy and dangerous mid-majors can be. Upsets are the hallmark of March Madness, and the Mountaineers had to fight off Buffalo in a 5-12 opener last season. This time, there should be no overlooking an opponent who comes in riding the nation’s longest win streak at 20 games. Plus, Stephen F. Austin has players with quality experience in the past two NCAAs.
Brad Underwood labels Thomas Walkup “the best player in the country nobody knows about,” though it’s hard not to know about a two-time Southland MVP who averages 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and also is a three-time all-defensive honoree.
Despite being only 6-foot-4, Walkup defends in the post thanks to owning the physique of an NFL tight end, a nod to the weight room commitment Underwood enacted.
“Hardest-working guy I’ve ever been around,” says the coach. “Wasn’t recruited out of high school. but now he’s the MVP of our league and was not in the top 15 in minutes played. He does it all in an efficient way.
“He’s the school’s all-time leading rebounder at 6-4 and truly his best position is the point guard spot. He’s a positonless guy. He’s a guy that because of his strength and deceiving athleticism can guard literally anyone on the court.”
While West Virginia presses like its hair is on fire, SFA utilizes a drop-press that primarily delays opponents from setting their offense. Yet both teams force bushels of turnovers, so the press-on-press storyline has blossomed over the past few days.
Senior guard Trey Pinkney surmised that SFA is prepared: “Facing each other in practice pretty much is what it’s going to be like.”
Then he went further: “I feel like it’s kind of similar to the VCU matchup we had our first year (2014) that we won. I feel like we got a good draw.”
The Lumberjacks commit 12.4 turnovers per game but had only six against Houston Baptist and nine vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference tournament.
“We have a ton of guys who are high-IQ guys, can pass it, dribble it,” Walkup said. “So we’re not only relying on Trey to bring the ball up every time. We can help take some of the pressure off of him, and I think that will go a long way as far as valuing the basketball.”