WVU Eyes Revenge Vs. No. 23 Kansas
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By JARED SERRE
For the News-Register
Miles McBride easily sees a path to success. It's just the execution that, as of late, has been missing for the No. 17 West Virginia men's basketball team.
When the Mountaineers host No. 23 Kansas on Saturday (2 p.m., CBS), they'll look to turn things around, eyeing a return to the mainstream, consistent success they saw earlier this season.
Things have not gone as hoped for the Mountaineers recently. After suffering an upset defeat at the hands of the unranked Florida Gators last Saturday, the team narrowly escaped with a win against Iowa State on Tuesday despite having blown a nearly 15-point lead to the lowly Cyclones.
Now, in containing a team like Kansas, West Virginia will need its strong defensive unit to return to the ways of old -- something that has been missing from the equation.
"We all know our principles, it's just a matter of doing them," McBride said.
"Coach (Huggins) has been doing this for obviously 40-plus years, (and) his principles are right," he added. "We just have to step up and make it work.
It can't be four guys doing their job and one guy messes up, because it's really going to mess everybody else up. When you get into games like this every little play matters. Every loose ball, every rebound matters. Everybody has to do their job."
The two teams last matched up on Dec. 22, with the Jayhawks easily running away with a 79-65 win. Guard Christian Braun led the way for Kansas with 22 points, while each member of the team's starting five scored in double figures.
Junior big man David McCormack has been a productive contributor for the Jayhawks as well, with West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins mentioning him explicitly as the big change between this weekend's matchup and the one from earlier this season.
"They're throwing the ball to him, and rightfully so," Huggins said.
"He's improved I think more than anybody I've coached against in however many years it's been -- 35, 40 years. I've never seen a guy get better that fast. He's a heck of a threat for them now, and they're really looking to throw him the ball."
McCormack, a 6-foot-10 forward from Norfolk, Virginia, has seen an increase in production since taking on West Virginia earlier in the season. Over the Jayhawks' last seven games, McCormack has scored 15 or more points in five of them.
Along with McCormack, head coach Bill Self's squad features the 2020 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in guard Marcus Garrett, as well as a handful of former four and five-star recruits, proving that, on paper, the Mountaineers may have their hands full.
"(He) has at least 10 really, really good players," Huggins said of Self and his team.
"He substitutes a McDonald's All American for a McDonald's All American. They're talented. They've been as talented a team as there has been in college basketball for quite a while, and Bill's a good coach. He's a very good coach."