Bob Huggins reveals what it takes to win in March

With 26 NCAA Tournament appearances now under his belt, with this being his 11th at West Virginia, Bob Huggins knows a thing or two about winning in March. So, what are his keys to advancing in the big dance?

In his words, it starts with a focus on the fact that every game could be your last. Huggins also says it doesn’t hurt to get the extra energy that you will get from your players who have yet to make an appearance in March Madness.

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“Well, I think, at that time of the year, your guys understand it’s one and done,” said Huggins. “They’re more attentive, they play harder. So forth and so on.”

“I think, at that time of the year, that’s something they look forward to,” Huggins said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of ball that have never played in an NCAA Tournament…I think that was, to a large degree, the charge that had these guys so excited about playing at the end of the year.”

Huggins pointed out fifth-year senior Erik Stevenson as a prime example of that spark. Stevenson is playing for his fourth college team and has appeared in over 150 Division I contests. However, as a career double-digit scorer across several conferences, he has never played in the NCAA Tournament.

All Huggins can do now is hope those specific factors will play a part in some success for the Mountaineers over the next week or more. They have a difficult path as a No. 9 seed in the South Region but, at this point of the season, no one can be counted out in a one-game scenario, regardless of seeding.

Huggins reveals West Virginia’s reaction to making the NCAA Tournament

West Virginia is in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time under head coach Bob Huggins. After missing out on the Big Dance last season, the Mountaineers are the No. 9 seed in the South Region.

In their first-round matchup, they will play No. 8 seed Maryland. The victor will play the winner of Alabama and either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or Southeast Missouri State.

Huggins said his team’s reaction to making the tournament was not over-the-top but that they did enjoy the moment.

“Obviously they’re excited to play,” Huggins said. “They weren’t jumping up and down, but they were excited to play. I never had any doubt that we wouldn’t play in the tournament. I thought we were getting better and better. I’m just wondering, did they return any of those lottery tickets?”

West Virginia has a 19-14 record and finished the Big 12 season with a 7-11 mark in conference play. While the Mountaineers did have a losing conference record, it wasn’t viewed harshly by the committee due to the strength of the Big 12.