West Virginia Basketball Desperately Seeks Consistent Production From Frontcourt

By Jason Fletcher

Following an 80-76 comeback win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, the West Virginia Mountaineers improved their record to 16-3 with a 5-2 conference record. Prior to the victory, Bob Huggins‘ team had lost two in a row to conference foes Oklahoma and Texas due to a lack of success from their frontcourt players, and it nearly cost them again against Texas Tech.

Entering the season, junior forward Devin Williams was expected to be one of the most dominant big men in the Big 12 after averaging 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 2014-15. While he’s averaging 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 2015-16, Williams has only averaged 10.4 points and 7.25 rebounds over his last 12 which has helped lead to the Mountaineers’ struggles.

Aside from Williams, the Mountaineers also need more from senior Jonathan Holton and sophomore Elijah Macon. Holton is averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, while Macon is averaging just 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds despite standing 6-foot-9.

To this point, the Mountaineers have been carried by their guards, but it’s difficult to win without consistent low-post play, especially in the NCAA tournament. There needs to be that physical presence inside that can bang and control the paint while battling on the boards. There’s no way to win a national championship without an enforcer down low.

One of these guys needs to find the drive and effort to want to take the Mountaineers to the next level over the next two months. Otherwise, it could be an early end to the season for one of the top teams in the Big 12.

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