West Virginia Will Be Big 12 Sleeper Team Of 2014-15
By Cody Daniel
With the current landscape of basketball in the Big 12, the only three teams that have a possibility of being an actual “sleeper team” are Texas Tech, TCU and West Virginia.
Each of the remaining Big 12 teams could all very likely be dancing next March so it’s clear none of them fit the bill. That said, I’m not going to go on babbling about how the sleeper team could be either Texas Tech or TCU because that simply isn’t practical. The Red Raiders just don’t have the talent to really be competitive in such a loaded conference while TCU needs to focus on actually stealing a conference win before any real buzz will surround that program.
That leaves West Virginia, and with a roster highlighted by crucial returning starters who can fill the stat sheet up, the Mountaineers are a team that could realistically beat anybody on any given night in 2014-15.
For those who didn’t follow West Virginia last season, don’t let the 17-15 record fool you, because they were much better than their record perceived. Some of those 15 losses included Wisconsin’s Final Four team, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State twice and Texas three times. That alone counts for nine of the 15 losses and countless worthwhile opponents would have probably finished with a pretty similar record through those exact games.
But overshadowed by double-digits in the loss column were their wins against Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma and the absolute blowouts of Iowa State and Kansas. With more than a few of their losses being by a relatively small margin, especially against ranked teams within the conference, it’s safe to say West Virginia will come out on top of a few more of those matchups next season.
So what makes me think the Mountaineers could be a team that will surprise everybody in the coming months?
The best guess would be the Mountaineers fearless leader and the Big 12’s leading scorer: Juwan Staten. Outside of his 18.1 points per game, Staten also led the team in assists with 5.8 and came in second on the team in boards with 5.6 per game. Pretty impressive numbers for a guy who’s only 6’1” and 190 pounds. But there’s something greater about Staten that will be key in helping West Virginia become competitive next season, and that’s his ability to take massive strides towards improvement over the offseason and carry an entire team on a nightly basis.
It helps to note with the losses of Eron Harris’ 17.2 points per game and Terry Henderson taking his double-double scoring average to North Carolina State, the weight upon Staten’s shoulders will surely increase. But despite being one of college basketball’s most well-rounded guards, Staten will require some help and this is where sophomore Devin Williams comes in.
Williams compiled 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per night as he often sat back and watched the guards heave up shot attempt after shot attempt. As for next season, his role will significantly increase, as he will be the sidekick to Staten’s superhero-like offensive performances that we will be lucky enough to see.
As for the rest of the team, all they have to do is follow the leadership of Staten and they will go as far as he can take them. Yes, the Mountaineers did take a few big hits on the roster this offseason but again, they still have the pieces necessary to make some noise in the conference. That is, much more noise than Texas Tech or TCU will be able to make, which is why they are the best option for the Big 12’s sleeper team of 2014-15.