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No. 24 WVU aiming for more flow vs. Morgan State (Nov 18, 2017)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- No. 24 West Virginia expects Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles to spark its offense, just not to the extent of forcing up shots.
The senior guards combined to miss their first eight jumpers against American on Wednesday night before heating up and helping the Mountaineers run away for a 98-64 victory.
In the wake of Carter and Miles scoring 20 points each, coach Bob Huggins noticed their baskets came after they began fitting into the motion offense.
"They can't go hunt them, and I thought in the first half they hunted them a little bit," he said. "We've got to get them in the flow of the game."
West Virginia (1-1) continues a run of three home games in six days when it hosts Morgan State (2-1) on Saturday night.
A preseason All-Big 12 point guard, Carter averages 16.5 points, though his scoring is only part of the story. He made nine steals, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded seven assists against American.
Combined with Miles (11.5 points per game), the guard duo has made 170 career starts. The three sophomores joining them in the lineup have combined for six starts.
Lamont West (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Wesley Harris (10 points, 5.5 rebounds) are 6-foot-8 forwards who have put up 18 of their 35 shots from 3-point range. Center Sagaba Konate, benched throughout the previous game, figures to be back in the starting five soon, though Huggins wouldn't confirm that will occur Saturday.
In Konate's absence, West Virginia experimented with a small-ball lineup that featured 6-foot Beetle Bolden (17.5 points) coming off the bench as the third guard. He sank three 3s and stands 8 of 16 from long range.
"That's what we put him in for -- it's not his lock-down defense," Huggins said. "The hard thing sometimes to get those guys to realize is that's why he's in the game. He was open several times in the first half and we didn't get him the ball when we should have gotten him the ball."
The Mountaineers are 58-4 in nonconference home games under Huggins. This one might seem like a shoo-in for win No. 59, but Morgan State surprised South Florida with a 62-53 upset in Tampa. Picked to win the MEAC, the Bears have 10 returnees led by the league's preseason player of the year, 6-foot-9 forward Phillip Carr (12 points, 10.5 rebounds).
"He's one of those guys that has a thirst to continue to gain knowledge and get better," coach Todd Bozeman said. "Not many guys who are 6-9 can shoot around 50 percent and also 82 percent at the line. He could average 20 and 10 this year."
Point guard Martez Cameron (10 points, 4 rebounds) and LaPri McCray-Price (11 points, 5.7 rebounds) have been steady. Morgan State could be more dangerous with the indefinite return of senior guard Tiwian Kendley, a 21-point scorer last season who has been held out of the first three games.
