KANSAS CITY – West Virginia led by as many as thirteen but failed to hold on in Big 12 Tournament action. The 16 seeded Colorado Buffaloes used a big 15-0 run to take control of the game and upset the Mountaineers. Read Second Half Drought Dooms Mountaineers in Big 12 Tournament Second Round.
Second Half Adjustments
West Virginia managed to hold Colorado to an impressive 23 points in the first half looking to have Coloradoes offensive number. Colorado found a secret weapon off the bench to change the tides. Elijah Malone managed to pour in 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Colorado went inside to Malone and found the interior to be a weakness for the Mountaineers tough defense. Colorado managed to shoot 61% from the field in the second half.
READ: WVU vs. Colorado Preview
Defensively Colorado went into a 2-2-1 press back into a 2-3 zone which totally changed the complexion of the game. This defense helped the Buffaloes catapult a 15-0 run from the 9:43 mark all the way into the 4:50 mark. That run gave the Buffaloes a 52-46 lead, helping Colorado never trail again in this one.
Big Game from Small Not Enough
Javon Small showed up big for the Mountaineers pouring in 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Javon Small also knocked down 4-of-11 threes from beyond the arc and tallying 5 assists. Toby Okani was only other Mountaineer to score double digits chipping in 11 points Despite big game from Small and Okani, the Mountaineers couldn’t find much help to get their offense going. The Mountaineers shot a dismal 21-of-51 from the field and only managed to connect on 6-of-19 attempts from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
In the second half Colorado turned up its defensive intensity with the press and this significantly affected the points off turnover differential. Colorado outscored West Virginia in second half points off turnovers 15-7. This was a huge turnaround from their first initial matchup in which West Virginia won that battle 12-2.
Unlikely Heroes
RJ Smith and Elijah Malone combined for 27 points off the bench, and they alone outscored West Virginia’s bench who only contributed 12 points. Colorado bench outscored West Virginia’s 38-12 and this had a significant effect on the final score. The big bench play proved to be too much for the Mountaineers particularly in the second half where the Buffaloes scored 31 bench points.
Tournament Chances
Now West Virginia has no control over its own destiny and will be playing the waiting game until Selection Sunday. Coming into this tournament Joe Lunardi had West Virginia listed as a lock and number 9 seed and that will significantly be affected with loss to Colorado. West Virginia should still get selected but their seeding should take a hit.
