Best Virginia’s run in the 2019 TBT came to an end on Saturday evening, as the former West Virginia Mountaineer standouts fell to the four-time defending champion Overseas Elite, 80-68, in the second round of the Richmond, VA regional.
Best Virginia was forced to make changes to their starting lineup due to the loss of starting point guard Juwan Staten to a wrist injury sustained in Friday’s first round win over the Seven City Royalty, making the already daunting task ahead of them that much more difficult.
The Overseas Elite controlled the majority of the game, but Best Virginia refused to go away without a fight. At numerous points in the contest, the Mountaineer squad fought their way back from double-digit deficits by pressing the Elite and using the 1-3-1 zone to force turnover after turnover. Unfortunately, Best Virginia struggled to get the necessary shots to fall to capitalize on the momentum, which ended up being the story of the game. Best Virginia shot just 30% (21-of-77) from the field, while the Elite finished at 54% (27-of-50) on the evening.
Kevin Jones led Best Virginia with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Devin Williams notched another double-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds. Jaysean Paige finished with 11 points and five assists on just 20% shooting from the field. Da’Sean Butler, Truck Bryant and Tayvon Myers each finished with five points.
Following the game, John Flowers confirmed to 247Sports’ Chris Anderson and via Twitter that Best Virginia will return to TBT in 2020. There is some speculation based on a quote from assistant coach Billy Hahn that TBT is planning to have Morgantown host a regional in next year’s tournament, although that information will likely not be confirmed until sometime this Winter or next Spring.