WVU shocked the college basketball world en route to winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament. They made it to the championship game against # 17 Connecticut and beat them 78-68 for the title.
Many individuals outside of the WVU nation did not give them a chance. Yet, the WVU team is playing the early season with grit and determination. The schools, maybe not the players, are very familiar with one another. WVU and UCONN were big time Big East Conference rivals.
WVU controlled the game from the opening tip-off. They never trailed and the victory was due to their tough defense, forcing 19 turnovers. The Mountaineers’ defense was led by freshman duo Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr.They turned up the heat and UCONN could not settle into their offense and play the style that they were wanting to play. The turnovers were pretty evenly split in the halves; ten in the first and nine in the second half. However, the difference came in the first half. They turned the ten turnovers into fourteen points.
Coach Bob Huggins is a happy coach. He has struggled with his players in recent years but he feels like he has the players that he has dreamed for and desired. The players that he loves are the ones that have a tenacity and fight with them. They will not go down without swinging.
Juwan Staten from WVU was the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Staten had 23 points in the championship game. He loves the fact that the coaches have instituted a full court press. He understands that they gave up some easy baskets but knows that as the season progresses their full-court defense will only get better. WVU only began working on the press a few days before the tournament began. Staten states that the coaches believe in them and that fuels their desire more.
WVU has a chance to have a very special team and the championship celebration will be the springboard. They have 8 games on their schedule before they move into conference play, where they hope to make a push for the BIG 12 title.
Photo Credit:�AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo
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