The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Half-right isn’t half bad

Both the AP and coaches polls are out and while WVU’s men’s basketball team isn’t terribly close to a ranking, it is starting to get some attention. A nationally televised beatdown and some impressive statistics will tend to have that effect. And, by golly, if you’re lucky ESPN’s Doug Gottleib will take notice!

But with their only loss a two-point neutral court defeat to Tennessee, and thumpings of Auburn and Duquesne last week, I will admit that I missed on this team. While Huggins is a polarizing guy, it is hard to not admire the lack of ego involved in allowing his team to run John Beilein’s offense while demanding his own solid man-to-man principles on defense.

No such thing as bad publicity, only the Mountaineers are not running John Beilein’s offense.

There may be times when it looks as if someone has done something that resembles what we’ve seen in the past, but it’s a Huggins motion offense.

It’s designed to put pressure on the rim and, to be honest, it’s often up to the players and how they read a defense when they get the ball. That they sometimes use “Beilein stuff” to get to the rim — backcuts, screen-and-rolls, etc. — is more coincidence than anything else.

Oh, and if you pressure the rim consistently, you force the defense to collapse and that opens the perimeter for 3-point shots. That would happen in a Mike Casazza offense. Anyhow, you’re not seeing a lot of that this year because this team is good at finishing and simply doesn’t shoot the 3 as well — or as often … there is a connection — as it has in years past.