West Virginia University Basketball: Lack of Shooting More Than Just a Slump

Mired in the midst of perhaps the most brutal closing stretch of basketball in West Virginia history, with six of their remaining opponents nationally ranked, the Mountaineers picked just about the worst time possible to fall into a shooting slump.

That has been the most popular theory, coming from both fans and pundits alike, after their 66-50 loss at the hands of Villanova on Saturday afternoon, where West Virginia managed just 19 first-half points and finished the game shooting 35 percent from the field.

There is just one problem with that theory: It's not true.

The truth is, the Mountaineers' recent struggles have little to do with a shooting slump and more to do with their ability to shoot in the first place.

One or two games can be overlooked, but West Virginia's poor shooting has been the elephant in the room (or Coliseum if you prefer) all season and their schedule has finally pushed it to the forefront. 

For the season, West Virginia is shooting 43 percent from the field, good enough for 10th in the Big East.

With the Conference as stacked as it is, being in the top 10 of anything isn't awful, but the Mountaineers' 43 percent is buoyed by their early season schedule, where they shot 51 percent against both American and Oakland, 47 percent against VMI and a staggering 55 percent against Robert Morris.

Their more recent, in-conference matchups have painted a much different picture. Against nine Conference foes, along with their annual quagmire against Marshall, West Virginia is shooting a whopping 40 percent in their last 10 games; that includes four games where they shot below 35 percent, highlighted by consecutive 33 percent rock fights against South Florida and Marshall.

This isn't just a slump, it's an epidemic. 

After spending 300 words bemoaning the Mountaineers shooting abilities, there is one stat that stands out above the rest: 7-3.

As in, despite laying more bricks than a mason over the last 10 games, West Virginia has managed to go 7-3.

That mark is a tribute to the toughness of both the players and their coach, and the biggest reason why West Virginia is still in the hunt for a berth in the Big Dance. As to whether or not that grit and guile will be enough down the stretch remains to be seen, but if nothing else, they've shown Coach Huggins the best way to win.

"We're not just going to run up and down and beat anyone in this league, we lost too many guys," Huggins said after the loss to Villanova.

"Now we can win, but we've got to do it the way we have to do it. I don't like it that way, but that's the way it is."

The way to win then, if history is any indication, is to take the air out of the ball. They couldn't run with 'Nova on Saturday and they certainly won't be able to run with more talented teams like Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.

It's not the style of basketball that fans have come to expect under Huggins and it's certainly not the most entertaining style of play, but with eight games, it might be the only way to win.

Call it ugly, call it boring, both adjectives fit.

Just don't call it a slump.