“There’s going to be one game,” Tarik Phillip said from a seat in front of his locker Thursday night, “when y’all are like, ‘Oh, man, Esa’s back, and that’s bad news for everybody.'”

But what about Esa’s back, the one that was injured and kept him out of three games?

“I’m feeling good,” Ahmad said after making one basket and one free throw in 16 minutes against Texas. “It’s a lot better.”

The sophomore from Cleveland who’s made friends with heating pads and strategic stretching, Ahmad played against Texas Tech on Feb. 18 and then missed wins against Texas and TCU and a loss to Baylor. He returned and played 11 minutes off the bench against Iowa State and finished 1-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He had three rebounds, three fouls, one assist and one turnover.

“I felt good,” he said. “It was kind of stiff on me, but I just tried to play through it.”

The Mountaineers then had five days off, and coach Bob Huggins said after the win against the Cyclones that Ahmad needed to take advantage of the situation. “We’ve got to get him going, but he’s got to help. He’s got to get himself going.”

Ahmad was coming off 12 days without a game, and he was acutely reminded of that.

“I felt it,” he said. “I felt it. Bit I tried to keep heat on it and keep it loose.”

Ahmad again came off the bench in last night’s quarterfinal, and he again went 1-for-6 from the floor. WVU tried to get him going. He kept getting the ball up top, and Huggins wanted him to drive the middle. Ahmad did part of that, driving the ball but fading off to the side. When he’s confident, he parts the sea.

He also went 1-for-2 and 0-for-2 in separate trips to the free throw line, and I thought he was out of whack there, too. He looked like he was in a hurry, and his shots weren’t the same.

“I wouldn’t say he’s trying to get back in rhythm,” Phillip said. “I don’t even know how to explain it. He’s going to get out of it sooner than you think.”

But he’s in it, and you can tell this riddles his teammates. Ahmad has plenty of talent. Plenty. WVU had its two worst shooting and scoring games in Big 12 play when he was out, and the Mountaineers thought his return would help. Remember Huggins’ prophecy last fall? “His issues aren’t going to be offensive.”

Ahmad did have one promising sequence when he did drive and score and then started up high again and passed inside to Sagaba Konate for a score. But that was it. That was his one score and his one assist, and he chipped in three turnovers. After his dynamic game against Kansas, when he was 10-for-17 with no turnovers, he’s had three, three, two, two, three, three, three, one and three turnovers. When he recklessly elbowed his way through a Texas crowd last night and was called for an offensive foul, Huggins pulled him out of the game and barked at him as he walked by. “You can not turn it over.”

“I could have knocked down a couple layups, I could have been a little more careful with the ball,” Ahmad said. “I know I can improve.”