Alex Ruoff made nine 3-point baskets last night as WVU roughed up Radford and Ruoff shed a shooting slump.

Ruoff’s last three games had produced just 12 field goals, the same number of field goals he scored this game. And, over his last four games he had made just about one-third of his shots with 15 field goals in 44 attempts.

In fact, in those last four games he made but seven 3-point shots, two fewer than he made in this game.

Rather than wonder where his shooting eye went or blaming it on the injury or being rusty for missing a couple of games, Ruoff went to the coaches for help.

They made an adjustment, something with his thumb he would say, but as Huggins was to put it:

“I can’t fix it. They have to fix it. It’s a tribute to him.”

Ruoff didn’t play the two of the past three games and hasn’t been himself for quite some time. A few people I spoke with last night said he had a little snarl, a little swagger. Ruoff doesn’t allow himself to do that if it isn’t legit. If it is, he holds that hand in the air, spins crisply on his heels, claps his hands or says a little something to no one in particular — or all of the above.

He brings a little of that needed attitude. Last year, when Joe Alexander got it in his head he could not be stopped, he took offense to certain players and actions and would simply dunk or drive on people. Ruoff is kind of the same, except he responds to slights with what we like to call “Take that!” 12-foot jumpers. He needs to play with that edge to be most effective. Then he’s empowered in different areas and he can do other things better, like dunking, which actually happened against the Highlanders. 

For these Mountaineers to prosper, they need Ruoff. No offense, to Bird Sowards, but when he’s the team’s best shooter, the team doesn’t have much of a shot. He’s not the same player as Ruoff. He doesn’t rebound, pass or — yes — defend as well as Ruoff. Believe it or not, Ruoff is pretty good at all three.

His greatest value is in shooting. Obviously. The games in which Ruoff struggled or did not play, opponents basically built a human fence around the paint and just would not allow WVU players to penetrate. They were daring the Mountaineers to make perimeter shots and it was an effective idea. Eventually, teams assumed Ruoff would come back around. Last night it happened and it could not have come at a better time.

The Mountaineers play at unbeaten Ohio State Saturday and the Buckeyes, who again are a solid defensive team, have to assume Ruoff can and will make shots. That spreads the defense a little, which is big because WVU may very well be without Joe Mazzulla and Truck Bryant, who hurt an ankle last night and was seen leaving the Coliseum in a walking boot. Maybe he plays, but his life is made easier if he has some room to drive.