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Welcome back to Mountaineer Retweet, where I've once again skewed schedule to recap one game instead of two. This team has had a roller coaster ride of highs and lows over the first two-thirds of the season but finally got a solid road win on Tuesday night in Waco. Yes, the Bears are sliding but there is still an undeniable amount of talent on that team, and to go on the road and get the win is huge for our young cagers.
Without any further ado, let's see how the Twitters reacted in real time.
At the Ferrell Center in Waco, where the scoreboard already says Baylor 66, WVU 0. Wait. What? Is it football again? Tip at 7.
— Dave Hickman (@dphickman1) January 28, 2014
Okay this was just a fun way to start.
We'll be more positive from here on out.
/continues to repress memories of Baylor football game
Boy it sure would be neato if WVU could not look awful on national TV!
— Brandon Priddy (@abpriddy) January 29, 2014
It would be nice to not look like a train wreck for once on national television. Our awful team got on ESPN/2 a whoooole lot last season, and that left a bad taste in the mouths of mainstream media (as well as all of us), and has some turning a blind eye to our improved team this season.
It would be nice to starting turning this perception around with this game.
Right on cue, Brady Heslip wide open from three and makes it. #WVU dead last in Big12 3-point FG defense.
— Chris Anderson (@CMAnderson247) January 29, 2014
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
5 pts off TOs early on for WVU.
— WVU IMG Sports (@WVUIMGSports) January 29, 2014
This'll be a theme.
#WVU just cannot rebound the basketball. As good or better than Baylor in most other ways, but that's a killer. #WVU 17-16, 9:13
— Dave Hickman (@dphickman1) January 29, 2014
This has to be killing Bob Huggins. If there's one thing that has been a common theme throughout the Bob Huggins era at WVU it has been tenacious, unending rebounding. This team just doesn't have that. It probably can go back to the problem with our big men, whether it's lack of experience, lack of strength, lack of athleticism, or (most likely) some annoying combination of the three.
It has to change but I fear that it won't until the young guys get a summer in the Bob Huggins Weight Room of Death.
#FreeHolton
Baylor is playing terribly. No wonder it has been losing games. WVU should be taking better advantage.
— Tony Dobies (@DOBIEST) January 29, 2014
This is another issue that this team needs to figure out that might only come with age. (I know, I say that a lot, but inexperience might just be THE issue on this team outside of two guys sitting on the bench.) Whether it's not being able to go on a run with Marcus Smart in foul trouble or not being able to run away with a game that Baylor is doing everything on the planet to hand them, there's not a killing instinct yet. Good to great teams need that instinct and it's not here.
Just when Harris or Henderson is out, I would like to see Dibo or Nate at three... That extra size may help with rebounding....
— Ken Rhodes (@KenRhodes23) January 29, 2014
This is an idea I'd actually like to see happen. I'm a big fan of the concept of playing a "stretch four" at three, and I think Adrian and Dibo could be perfect for the role. Staten/Harris/Henderson is obviously the preferred lineup, but rotating a big guy in there could, like Ken says, help with rebounding as well as give us a scoring threat at the three when one of Harris/Henderson has to be on the bench.
36-33 WVU lead at the half.
— WVU IMG Sports (@WVUIMGSports) January 29, 2014
My 6-year old daughter: "Why is that man (Bob Huggins) so mad? West Virginia has more points."
— Jonathan Martin (@JonathanKMartin) January 29, 2014
You have much to learn, young Padawan.
It was seriously infuriating that we were only up three at half. It could have easily been nine and evaporated in an instant and the end of the half. This can't start being a thing if this team is going to go on some sort of a run.
Time to see if #WVU can finish. Had many opportunities to do so and haven't been able to close. Would be huge confidence boost tonight.
— Randy Gyorko (@gyorkocfn) January 29, 2014
This was the thought that loomed over the head of Mountaineer Nation at half time. We've seen this movie before. (Seriously is it just me or are all of our damn games exactly the same) We've battled for most of the season.
It was time to finish.
Baylor's only had one truly bad loss during its five-game losing streak, but a loss to WVU tonight would be a full-on meltdown.
— David Ubben (@davidubben) January 29, 2014
I'm including this because I'm still not used to Ubben talking basketball. It's weird.
Also it was cool back when losing to us in sports meant we were awesome and not that our opponent was is "full-on meltdown."
Just disastrous. Baylor TO turns into 2 missed FTs, missed open 3, wasted 35 sec. on rebound, then giving up a score. Tied 47
— Dave Hickman (@dphickman1) January 29, 2014
Balls.
A seven point lead is annihilated in seconds as second half play continues. This is that "lack of killer instinct" thing rearing its ugly head again.
It's not fun.
Remi Dibo playing very well for #WVU tonight. Clutch basket after clutch basket and doing better on the defensive end. WVU leads 62-56.
— Keenan Cummings (@rivalskeenan) January 29, 2014
This is fact. Remi Dibo played his best game of his Mountaineer career on Tuesday night. If this team wants to make the magical and improbable "6 out of 10" run that some people think is our way onto the bubble and into the Dance, we need games like this from Remi Dibo every night. Getting him productive minutes helps our depth situation at forward and also provides a four scoring option after the Big Three.
Big chance squandered by the Bears. Could have made it 1 possession game...instead committed 16th TO of game. Timeout, 64-60 WVU, 2:30 left.
— WVU IMG Sports (@WVUIMGSports) January 29, 2014
This game goes back and forth for the rest of the way. We get all nervous and stuff as Mountaineer fans are wont to do.
And then Baylor wildly rifles a ball out of bounds for the eight trillionth time.
They'll later split a set of free throws to make it 64-61.
HEY WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T LET DUSTY HANNAHS PHIL FORTE ALEX BADER BRADY HESLIP WIDE OPEN
That's why West Virginia struggles. The one player you can't afford to leave open ... is.
— Jonathan Martin (@JonathanKMartin) January 29, 2014
I've got nothing.
Except sadness.
Lots of sadness.
JUAN STATEN!
— SmithFire13 (@SmithFire13) January 29, 2014
I NOW HAVE HAPPINESS TOO.
(but I'm in law school so still a lot of sadness)
BUT MOSTLY HAPPINESS NOW
Juwan Staten gets the go-ahead bucket for #WVU, my camera gets a whole lotta ref butt. Makes for great highlights.
— Geoff Coyle (@GFCoyle) January 29, 2014
#RefButt
Buzzer beater try from Baylor good...but TOO LATE. 66-64 WVU gets the win. Baylor has now lost 5 straight.
— WVU IMG Sports (@WVUIMGSports) January 29, 2014
You know, nothing would probably encapsulate our season more than that buzzer beater getting off in time and going in.
But it didn't.
And we finally got one.
.@CoachHuggs: "Let's take this one and let's go home."
— WVU IMG Sports (@WVUIMGSports) January 29, 2014
Let's end it with Coach.
I couldn't be happier for this team to finally get this win. A confidence boost to prove that they could beat talent has been needed all season. Too little too late? Possibly. But it's a start, and it's certainly more than anything we got last season.
The next step is actually building on it and not getting eviscerated by Kansas State again.
oh god we have to play kansas state again
Until then, keep tweeting, and Let's Go Mountaineers!