Bob Huggins coaches a brand of basketball referred to as “Press Virginia.” If you’re a fan of the team you could take that as a compliment that the Mountaineers are always applying pressure on the other team.
Or you could actually watch a West Virginia game. Then you would see a strategy that would appear to be: We’re going to make this game as ugly and unentertaining as possible and dare the officials to call a foul on every possession as we push and nudge and hack and bother the player with the ball every second.
When you play that way, much like the great Arkansas teams of Nolan Richardson, the idea is to get away with as many fouls as possible, knowing that the officials don’t want to blow the whistle every possession.
Then came Saturday’s 77-69 loss to Kansas. West Virginia was called for 26 fouls, while Kansas was called for 14. But the free throw differential was profound. Kansas made 26 of 35. West Virginia made 1 of 2.
But it’s the laziest complaint in the world to say one team was called for many more fouls therefore the game had to be officiating incorrectly.
Huggins was ejected from the game for arguing calls and later said of the difference in free throws, “that can’t happen. You have no chance to win.”
But it can happen. It’s as simple as one team committing more fouls that the other.
Huggins needs to tighten up and realize that.
Who do you think needs to Tighten Up? Call in and the best and most entertaining suggestion will win a $25 gift card from Wintzell’s Oyster House.
For Threaded Fasteners, I’m Randy Kennedy with Tighten Up.
