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By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins grew tired of a lack of commitment from his players in a season that has been sour since it began, so he sent them a message by giving a freshman walk-on his first start in a Big 12 road game.
The move didn't last long, but Huggins is making it clear what happens when some athletes give effort and others don't. Guard Taevon Horton started Saturday at Texas as a reward for being the only player in the gym before the start of practice.
Huggins has tinkered with his lineups and tried to coax more from an experienced but mistake-prone roster. Not much is working at the moment. The Mountaineers (8-6, 0-2 Big 12) have lost two straight as they prepare to play at Kansas State (10-4, 0-2) on Wednesday night.
"We need to win bad for a lot of reasons," Huggins said Tuesday.
Press Virginia is gone. The Mountaineers have committed far more turnovers than they have forced. They're giving up the most points in the league and are next-to-last in scoring margin.
The graduation of the guard tandem of two-time league defensive player of the year Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. left a huge void and Huggins is still looking for someone who can consistently run the offense. James "Beetle" Bolden was looked upon at the start of the season as a main ballhandler but he's been battling a hand injury and has had a bench role of late.
Huggins tells his players to make 100 free throws daily in practice, although he acknowledged he's skeptical of the final count. He knows it doesn't always translate over to games. The Mountaineers shot 56 percent from the line in a close loss to Texas Tech in their league opener last week.
From the field, West Virginia's 42.4 shooting percentage is next-to-last in the Big 12, just ahead of Kansas State's 42 percent.
"Unfortunately, we're at a point in the season where we've got to kind of pick things up," freshman guard Jordan McCabe said.
Center Sagaba Konate has missed five straight games with a bum knee. With other starters performing inconsistently, Konate has been elevated to the team's leading scorer at 13.6 points per game. There is no clear timetable for his return.
The bench has tried to help out. Forward Lamont West has four games of 20 points or more but went scoreless in the 61-54 loss at Texas . One bright spot lately is forward Derek Culver, who returned from a monthlong suspension to start the season by averaging 11 points in his four games.
"We have enough experienced guys," Huggins said. "Lately, seemingly the only one who has made plays down the stretch has been Derek."
It hasn't been enough. And now West Virginia must get victories in bunches to earn a 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in Huggins' 12 seasons.
No. 1 DUKE 87, WAKE FOREST 65
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Freshman sensation Zion Williamson scored a season-high 30 points with 10 rebounds, and No. 1 Duke won its first road game of the season by beating Wake Forest.
RJ Barrett finished with 21 points and matched a season high with seven assists, and Cameron Reddish added 10 points during his best game in a month, helping the Blue Devils (13-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their eighth in a row.
The high-flying Williamson was 13 of 16 from the field with three 3-pointers -- he entered with four all season -- in surpassing the 28 points he scored in his debut against No. 2 Kentucky.
No. 3 TENNESSEE 87, MISSOURI 63
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Kyle Alexander had 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as third-ranked Tennessee beat Missouri, the Vols' second straight blowout victory in Southeastern Conference play.
No. 18 KENTUCKY 85, TEXAS A&M 74
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Tyler Herro had 21 points, Ashton Hagans scored a career-high 18 and Kentucky overcame a 10-0 deficit before holding off Texas A&M for a victory.
NO. 19 BUFFALO 110, TOLEDO 80
AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) -- Jeremy Harris scored a career-best 34 points in leading Buffalo to a rout of Toledo.
BAYLOR 73, No. 20 IOWA STATE 70
WACO, Texas (AP) -- Makai Mason scored 25 points, including five free throws in the final 38 seconds as Baylor held on to beat Iowa State.
VILLANOVA 76
No. 24 ST. JOHN'S 71
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) -- Phil Booth hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the game and scored 23 points to help Villanova rally to beat St. John's.