Bob Huggins bemoans West Virginia offense, makes plea to players

West Virginia struggled immensely offensively on Saturday against Kansas, as the Mountaineers shot just 35.1 percent from the field and 20 percent from three-point range. Kansas ultimately won 76-62, and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins did not hold back when evaluating his team’s struggles to shoot.

Additionally, West Virginia made just 18 free throws on 28 attempts, a mere 64.3 percentage.

“We seemingly miss more two-footers than any other team in American history,” Huggins said. “They won’t make shots. We had shots, it wasn’t like we didn’t have shots. We just don’t make them. But it’s hard to make a shot from two feet or four feet or eight feet if you’re not looking where you’re shooting it. And as much as we’ve talked about it, as much as we’ve drilled about it, we still don’t look at the rim. It’s hard to get it in if you never get it over the rim. Has to go over the rim before it can go in.”

Three players scored in double figures for West Virginia on Saturday. Tre Mitchell led the way with 15 points, while Erik Stevenson had 12 and Emmitt Matthews Jr. finished with 11.

Kansas saw more success offensively, shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Jayhawks also shot 89.5 percent from the free throw line.

West Virginia trailed by as many as 22 points on Saturday, as the offensive woes stopped the Mountaineers from getting back into the game in the second half. After trailing 42-35 at halftime, West Virginia scored just 27 points in the final half.

On the season, West Virginia is shooting 47 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from three-point range and 69.9% from the charity strike. If one thing is clear, it’s that Huggins expects better from everyone on the floor for West Virginia.

Huggins’ frustrations continue to build, as West Virginia has now lost three games in a row to open Big 12 play. The Mountaineers entered conference play with a 10-2 overall record, but have since lost on the road against Kansas State and Oklahoma State and now at home against Kansas.

Things won’t get any easier over the coming weeks for West Virginia, so Huggins will want to see his team improve quickly on the offensive side of the ball. This week, the Mountaineers host a ranked Baylor team before hitting the road to face Oklahoma. The following week, home dates against ranked TCU and Texas teams await.