Mountaineers Now Postgame Show: K-State 81, WVU 67
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:10 Welcome into the Mountaineers now post game show presented by Country Roads,
00:14 AirDog cleaning West Virginia losers once again here tonight.
00:17 Shocker, it's been a theme here for the last five.
00:20 They've dropped losing tonight 81 to 67 to Kansas State.
00:24 A quick look here at the numbers.
00:25 Rayquan battle led the way for the Mountaineers with 21 points on 513 shooting.
00:30 Kirk Creasa, Noah Farrakhan each going for 11 points.
00:33 Cam Carter was a problem all night for Kansas State, or for West Virginia.
00:38 But for Kansas State, he was the real deal, 23 points on 814 shooting.
00:43 West Virginia really got dominated in the paint once again.
00:46 They gave up 48 in the paint to Houston.
00:49 They give up 44 in the painted area here tonight.
00:53 >> And Chris, it felt like a winnable game coming into it.
00:56 They played okay, I think in the first half defensively,
00:59 it was a mess all throughout all 40 minutes.
01:01 But that one little area in the second half for Kansas State,
01:05 one on that 12 to two run,
01:07 really seemed to be what ended up being the difference maker in this game.
01:10 >> Yeah, I mean, you mentioned the points in the paint, they miss Jesse.
01:16 [LAUGH] It's fairly obvious at this point that they don't have an inside presence.
01:23 And Cook is, he's doing what he can, but he just undersized to be at that position.
01:28 Quinn's getting overpower and he kind of knew he would kind of struggle once they
01:33 got in the Big 12 play and you knew the whole front court would show up without
01:38 Jesse during Big 12 play, so they just gonna have to, I really don't know how
01:43 you stop it defensively without any presence in there.
01:46 We went to score better, can't shoot 28%.
01:49 I think it was, it was at the second half 20% from the field second half.
01:54 So go ahead and shoot better, you can't go on droughts, I think West Virginia.
01:59 They, Kansas State started at half on a 17-4 run.
02:07 I mean, they missed a bunch of shots.
02:08 So, gotta make shots when you can't make easy buckets,
02:11 you gotta rely on your guards to hit shots.
02:13 Battle did a pretty good job, again, coming up with points, but
02:16 you're gonna have to find scoring somewhere else because it really is at this point,
02:19 you're just gonna have to find ways to outscore your opponent.
02:23 >> Yeah, I mean, I don't think, not that it really played a difference in the game,
02:26 but I don't think West Virginia got the benefit of the whistle tonight by any
02:29 means.
02:30 >> They never do.
02:30 >> No, but tonight- >> It's funny to me when they're playing
02:35 these over aggressive physical teams at the fouls are the same.
02:37 West Virginia is not nearly as physical as these other teams and
02:41 they're definitely different calls on these trips down the floor.
02:45 So, it's kind of what it is we talked about last game,
02:48 you're just gonna have to fight through it.
02:49 If it's in your head at this point, you're gonna miss those bump shots cuz you're
02:53 waiting, I mean, don't expect the call.
02:56 Kansas State got some of those calls after the shot was missed,
03:00 some late whistles there and you just can't suck it up.
03:03 It's no, the Big 12 ain't gonna come back and say, hey,
03:06 they may say they missed the call, but they ain't gonna change the score.
03:08 >> Exactly.
03:09 >> And when you lose about 14, you're not gonna hear a lot of people
03:15 on your side at that point.
03:16 So, you're gonna have to kind of suck it up, play harder.
03:20 And that's where rebounding, second chance opportunity comes into play.
03:24 You've got six offensive rebounds, it's such a stark contrast.
03:28 Again, I know we're missing Jesse Edwards, but
03:30 you gotta find ways to keep possessions alive when you're not on.
03:33 >> Pat Sumnick got rewarded tonight.
03:37 He had that 12 point outing against Houston, he gets the start.
03:40 So a lineup change, he and Josiah Harris inserted in while Quince Lozinski and
03:45 the Coca Coke slide to the bench.
03:46 What did you think of the new lineup?
03:48 Did it really make much of a difference?
03:49 I mean, it just seems like at this point, they're just trying to find and
03:53 search answers because until Jesse Edwards gets back, I mean,
03:57 we talk about trying to keep your head above water, but
04:01 at this point, their head's not even above water.
04:03 >> Pat's playing so much better.
04:06 He's playing with a lot more confidence.
04:09 And that's good for his future, obviously.
04:12 But yeah, I don't really think it made much difference.
04:15 I think those guys are playing really hard and doing what they're told to do.
04:19 They're finding their roles.
04:21 And Pat's one of those guys that's been blocking out on both sides of the room.
04:24 >> Yeah.
04:26 >> On either side that he's on.
04:27 So he's doing what he needs to do.
04:29 You'd like to see him get a few more boards throughout the game.
04:33 But I think offensively, the guys are shooting still before the offensive set,
04:39 cuz there's no one down there to rebound for them.
04:43 It's frustrating at this point, especially for everybody.
04:46 But I think we all just need to kinda just take solace in the fact that these kids
04:51 are still playing, trying, playing hard, while they're representing the university.
04:55 It's their 5 and 10.
04:57 We'll see what happens this weekend when Tex comes down.
05:00 Should be plenty of motivation.
05:01 It's obviously gonna be a tough game, but they continue to fight,
05:05 continue to play hard, and that's all you can really ask for from these kids right now.
05:09 >> Yeah, absolutely.
05:10 It's gonna be a tough stretch here, like we said,
05:12 here at the beginning of the Big 12 Conference play.
05:14 It's not gonna get any easier.
05:16 But no one's gonna- >> But they started off 0 and 5 or
05:18 0 and 6 last year with a complete team.
05:20 >> Yeah, exactly.
05:22 So, I mean, just saying, it is possible that they could turn it around.
05:26 And by, I would assume, maybe another week and a half, two weeks,
05:29 Jesse's probably back in the mix.
05:31 >> He's gonna have to give him an extra week or two once he gets on the board.
05:35 Cuz he's gonna have to not only get acclimated, but
05:38 he's gonna have to get back in game shape.
05:40 He's gonna have to get his wrist strength back.
05:43 >> Trusting it.
05:44 >> Yep, and then trusting it.
05:45 So just cuz he gets back in the lineup here maybe in two weeks,
05:48 he's probably gonna take another week or two before he really gets back in the full swing.
05:53 >> So again, West Virginia losers in this one, 81 to 67.
05:57 They drop to 5 and 10 on the year, 0 and 10, or 0 and 10, maybe I'm foreshadowing here.
06:02 0 and 2 in Big 12 Conference play.
06:05 They'll have the next few days off before returning to action,
06:08 as Chris just mentioned, to host the Texas Longhorns who are in the top 25.
06:12 That one will tip off at 6 o'clock on ESPN+.
06:15 And so that'll do it for us here tonight on the Mountain Ears Now post game show
06:18 presented by Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning.
06:21 For Christopher Hall, I'm Scott LaCount.
06:22 Make sure you hit that subscribe button and give us a like on our YouTube channel
06:26 at Mountain Ears Now, and give us a follow on X at the same handle.
06:29 So thank you guys for watching.
06:31 We'll see you tomorrow morning on Between The Ears.
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