That was an interesting and in some respects a very frustrating game. WVU is ranked #2 in the country for a reason, and yet Baylor, even with 21 turnovers, was right there and could have won that game had Manu hit a wide open three and not missed the front end of a one and one shortly afterward. It is hard to fault Vital for his critical and rather careless turnover on the breakaway because he is a first year player and not yet familiar with the speed of the game at the Big 12 level. A more experienced player might well have made the same error.
What did us in was the tied game at 47 - 47 and three turnovers, two missed shots, and shortly after a missed defensive rebound on a failed WVU free throw. So many of our mistakes were because of faulty fundamentals, but that, too, is not uncommon in a game of this intensity and physicality.
Once again we continued the habit of sending two men at a player out on the top right or top left and leaving the corner unprotected, and the critical three late in the game was the result of a double out there on the top left and an uncovered player in the left corner who had a wide open three. We were not hurt out on top, but slaughtered from the corner. Once the WVU player drove from the left corner, was pinned on the baseline by two Baylor defenders, and had only one place to go with the ball and that was to the right corner. Lecomte was lagging in over there, did not shut off the passing lane and failed to cover the shooter standing all by himself, and it cost us another three. Lapses of those kinds, repeated all too many times, spoiled an otherwise gritty defensive effort by the Bears, and it hurt to see it. By this time of the season that should not be happening.
Our tendency to dribble away the clock without much movement from others in the lineup was on full display in the second half. It was not a good look, and the analyst mentioned it emphatically late in the game. WVU got a great game from their big interior defender. I thought that he intimidated us a bit, and understandably so. Achuil defended pretty well, also, with five blocks, and Clark had a good game on the boards. It was a good learning experience for him. Over all, I thought that the Bears had nothing to be ashamed of in this outing. Carter hit a tough shot to win it, and Manu just couldn't get his open three to drop at a similar critical moment a little earlier. That proved to be the difference.
What did us in was the tied game at 47 - 47 and three turnovers, two missed shots, and shortly after a missed defensive rebound on a failed WVU free throw. So many of our mistakes were because of faulty fundamentals, but that, too, is not uncommon in a game of this intensity and physicality.
Once again we continued the habit of sending two men at a player out on the top right or top left and leaving the corner unprotected, and the critical three late in the game was the result of a double out there on the top left and an uncovered player in the left corner who had a wide open three. We were not hurt out on top, but slaughtered from the corner. Once the WVU player drove from the left corner, was pinned on the baseline by two Baylor defenders, and had only one place to go with the ball and that was to the right corner. Lecomte was lagging in over there, did not shut off the passing lane and failed to cover the shooter standing all by himself, and it cost us another three. Lapses of those kinds, repeated all too many times, spoiled an otherwise gritty defensive effort by the Bears, and it hurt to see it. By this time of the season that should not be happening.
Our tendency to dribble away the clock without much movement from others in the lineup was on full display in the second half. It was not a good look, and the analyst mentioned it emphatically late in the game. WVU got a great game from their big interior defender. I thought that he intimidated us a bit, and understandably so. Achuil defended pretty well, also, with five blocks, and Clark had a good game on the boards. It was a good learning experience for him. Over all, I thought that the Bears had nothing to be ashamed of in this outing. Carter hit a tough shot to win it, and Manu just couldn't get his open three to drop at a similar critical moment a little earlier. That proved to be the difference.