3. #11 Quinn Slazinski, 6’9″, 230 lbs., 5th-Year Sr., F, Houston, Texas, Iona Transfer
12.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 39.5 FG%, 33.3 3-PT FG%, 79.5 FT%, 67 ast.-59 TO, 6 blk, 14 stl, 29.1 mpg
January 31st vs. Cincinnati: 15 pts, 5 rebs, 5-9 FG (1-2 3-PT FG), 4-6 FT, 3 ast., 5 TO, 35 mins
March 9th @ Cincinnati: 7 pts, reb, 2-6 FG (1-2 3-PT FG), 2-2 FT, 4 ast.-3 TO, 2 stl, 23 mins
Slazinski can score, as evidenced by his third-highest scoring average on the team. But he’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde player. He is second on the team in assists, but he also has the second-most turnovers on the team. For a Bearcats team that has been better at taking care of the ball and turning teams over recently, he’s a player the Bearcats could match up well against and exploit.
4. #3 Kerr Kriisa, 6’3″, 185 lbs., Sr., G, Tartu, Estonia, Arizona Transfer
11 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 43% FG, 42.8 3-PT FG%, 75.7 FT%, 102 ast.-65 TO, blk, 17 stl, 33.3 mpg
January 31st vs. Cincinnati: 10 pts, 3 rebs, 2-6 FG (2-6 3-PT FG), 4-6 FT, 7 ast., 2 TO, 3 stl, 37 mins
March 9th @ Cincinnati: 6 pts, reb, 2-7 FG (2-6 3-PT FG), 3 TO, 32 mins
After Edwards, Kriisa had the second-most frustrating afternoon at Cincinnati for the Mountaineers. It showed with a technical foul in the first half, as Kriisa had three turnovers, just six points and no assists despite entering the game leading the team in assists. If West Virginia is going to pull the upset and advance, he will have to be on top of his game Tuesday afternoon.
5. #1 Noah Farrakhan, 6’1″, 170 lbs., Sr., G, Newark, N.J., Eastern Michigan Transfer
8 ppg, 3 rpg, 41.4 FG%, 36.1 3-PT FG%, 75% FT, 38 ast.-34 TO, blk, 11 stl, 20.4 mpg
January 31st vs. Cincinnati: 5 pts, 2 rebs, 2-4 FG (1-1 3-PT FG), 11 mins
March 9th @ Cincinnati: 12 pts, 2 rebs, 5-9 FG (2-3 3-PT FG), ast.-3 TO, 22 mins
Farrakhan was the only Mountaineers player to hit double figures Saturday afternoon. But like West Virginia as a team, he struggled to take care of the ball with three turnovers to one assist. Head coach Josh Eliert said after the game that his team has had an inconsistent mindset this season, and it seems like when one thing goes well for the Mountaineers another thing drags them down. That was Farrakhan’ performance on Saturday.
6. #2 Kobe Johnson, 6’3″, 205 lbs., Jr., G, Canton, Ohio
6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 41.7 FG%, 28.3 3-PT FG%, 78.9 FT%, 65 ast.-48 TO, 10 blk, 17 stl, 26.3 mpg
January 31st vs. Cincinnati: 2 pts, 5 rebs, 1-5 FG, 3 ast., 1 stl, 33 mins
March 9th @ Cincinnati: 6 pts, 2 rebs, 2-5 FG, 2-2 FT, TO, stl, 27 mins
Johnson has had a solid season and is an accurate shooter, and the Mountaineers will need him to step up in the event that one or more of their double-digit scorers is held in check again.
Notes from the Regular Season Matchups vs. West Virginia: In a Big 12 play part of the season filled with heartbreaking losses, this loss is maybe the most frustrating loss of Big 12 play. Coming off a win against Central Florida, this was supposed to be where the Bearcats started stacking some wins to stay in the middle of the standings. Up 10 with 6:29 to go, it was looking promising. But then the Bearcats missed seven threes down the stretch, allowing the Mountaineers to come back and close out the game with a 69-65 win. It was a disappointing Quad 3 loss, and it cost the Bearcats a chance to get back to .500 in Big 12 play and win consecutive games in Big 12 play. The latter is something the Bearcats will not achieve at least in the regular season. Even though the Bearcats bounced back three days later with a win at then No. 15 Texas Tech, them not being able to close out this game, I think looking back on it, was largely due to them being exhausted from the six-game gauntlet to start Big 12 play. The first six games were so mentally taxing, perhaps, and such a brutal welcome to the Big 12 that it wore the Bearcats down enough to where it had an impact on them closing out games the rest of the way. Plus, losing four games in those first six games and in the fashion in which they did I think made them panic when West Virginia started to cut into their 10-point lead. And that panic would surface again against other teams the Bearcats blew double-digit leads to.
But March 9th was a much different, and better, story for the Bearcats. They built a lead in the first half, and they gradually increased it in the second half. Cincinnati took good shots, finishing shooting 59 percent from the floor. They took care of the ball, dishing out 23 assists to just nine turnovers. It’s this kind of performance, the largest margin of victory for any team in the Big 12 this season, that gives me hope for the Bearcats to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament. They took care of business against a team they should beat, which they have done more often than not in the Wes Miller era. They should do so again Tuesday afternoon in the Big 12 Tournament.
Keys to Tuesday Afternoon’s First Round Matchup
1. Take care of the ball: This is paramount for any tournament game, conference or NCAA. Taking care of the ball allows you more opportunities to score, while turning it over can lead to more points for the opposition. When the Bearcats take care of the ball, good things happen. If they have aspirations of a big run in the Big 12 Tournament, taking care of the ball will be paramount.
2. Shot selection: I liked the way the Bearcats attacked the rim on Saturday, totaling 48 points in the paint. That’s what great Bearcats teams have done in the past, and it’s what this team needs to do to have big success against West Virginia on Tuesday afternoon and throughout the Big 12 Tournament.
3. Don’t look ahead: don’t change anything you’re doing: As Wes Miller said after the game on Saturday, every game is now a one-game season. He’s not allowing his team to look past the next game they’re playing because the next game isn’t guaranteed. It’s also important for the Bearcats to not change anything they’re doing just because it’s the Big 12 Tournament played on a neutral floor. Whatever has worked for the Bearcats, continue doing to win games in the Big 12 Tournament.
