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PRESEASON
NOTEBOOK •This is the 113th season and 119th year overall for West Virginia basketball, which began in 1903. • Bob Huggins won his 900th career game against Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2021. • With the win at Iowa State on March 3, 2020, Bob Huggins moved past Dean Smith for sixth place on the NCAA all-time Division I winningest coaches list. Huggins’ record now stands at 900-382 in his 40th season as a head coach. He needs two more to tie Bob Knight (902) for fifth place and three more wins to tie Roy Williams for fourth place all-time. • Huggins is the third-winningest active Division I coach behind Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim. • On Jan. 4, 2021 at Oklahoma State, Bob Huggins recorded his 300th career victory at his alma mater. Only Gale Catlett (19792002) has won more games at WVU with 439. Huggins now has 310 victories at West Virginia. • Bob Huggins became just the second coach to win at least 300 games at two different Division I schools (WVU – 310 and Cincinnati 399), joining Roy Williams (Kansas and North Carolina). • Huggins was named as a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award. • Huggins was named the USBWA District II Coach of the Year. • Huggins was named as one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy Men’s College Coach of the Year.
• Last season, Derek Culver was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, while Miles McBride was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Sean McNeil and Taz Sherman were named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Gabe Osabuohien was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and Jalen Bridges earned a spot on the Big 12 AllFreshman Team. • WVU had three different players win Big 12 Player of the Week honors last season: Culver (Nov. 30), McBride (Feb. 8 & 22) and McNeil (Feb. 15). Culver became the first WVU player since Jaysean Paige (2016) to win the award. • WVU had three different Player of the Week honorees for the first time since 1994 (Atlantic 10). • The Mountaineers made at least eight 3-point field goals in 13 of their final 20 games. WVU made eight or more 3s three times in 2019-20 and not once in the final 19 games of the 201920 season. • Huggins has seven wins over AP Top 5 teams, most recently No. 4 Baylor on March 7, 2020. • West Virginia has allowed its opponent to shoot 50 percent or better 86 times under Bob Huggins (481 games). • West Virginia has made at least one 3-point field goal in 729 consecutive games. • Huggins has wins over 54 AP-ranked teams at WVU, including 22 wins over Top 10 teams and three over No. 1. • Huggins has 99 wins over ranked teams as a head coach in his career. • Last season, WVU rebounded 35.6% of its missed shots, ranking 13th nationally. The national average was 28.0 percent.
GABE OSABUOHIEN
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• Last season, Gabe Osabuohien led WVU with 173 deflections. • The Mountaineers have won 110 of their last 122 games when holding opponents to 69 points or less. • WVU has won 121 of its last 134 and 177 of its last 200 games when holding opponents to less than 69 points. • WVU is 232-41 under Huggins when holding opponents to 69 points or less. • West Virginia is 78-5 under Bob Huggins when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. • West Virginia is 243-51 under Bob Huggins when leading at halftime. • West Virginia is 251-29 under Bob Huggins when leading by 10 or more points in a game. • West Virginia is 213-16 under Bob Huggins when posting a higher shooting percentage than its opponent. • The Mountaineers are 231-59 under Bob Huggins when scoring 70 or more points in a game. • West Virginia is 230-68 under Bob Huggins when outrebounding its opponent. • West Virginia is 160-80 (.674) since the start of the 2014-15 season. • WVU is 225-65 in its last 290 games against unranked teams, including winners of 118 of its last 138 at home. • Huggins has posted 55 conference road victories in 14 seasons at WVU, including six in 2020-21, two in 2019-20, four in 2017-18, five Big 12 road wins in 201617, six Big 12 road wins in 2015-16 and four Big 12 road wins in 2014-15. • WVU is 71-53 in the Big 12 regular season in the last seven seasons. • West Virginia is 140-111 under Bob Huggins in conference regular season games (Big 12 and Big East). • Bob Huggins is 96-81 in Big 12 Conference games. He is 86-75 at WVU and was 10-6 at Kansas State in 2006-07. • WVU is 575-169 (.778) all-time at the WVU Coliseum and 216-55 at the WVU Coliseum in the last 17 seasons. • West Virginia is 166-49 at the WVU Coliseum under Bob Huggins, including an 85-41 mark in league games. • The Mountaineers have won 99 of their last 144 conference games at the WVU Coliseum. • The 22-point victory at K-State last season was WVU’s biggest on the road in Big 12 play. WVU won by 17 at Oklahoma State in 2017. • WVU’s 19-point second half comeback at Texas was the second time last season WVU had a deficit of 19 points in the second half and came back to win. WVU trailed at Oklahoma State by 19 with 11 minutes to go and won. • West Virginia is 115-9 at home against nonconference teams in the last 19 years and has won 96 of its last 103. • West Virginia is 140-36 in nonconference regular season games under Bob Huggins, including an 80-7 mark at home. • West Virginia is 171-42 against nonconference teams in regular season games in the last 18 seasons. • West Virginia made 14 3-point field goals at Oklahoma last season, its most since hitting 15 against Saint Joseph’s in 2018. It tied WVU’s Big 12 record for made 3-point field goals (at Kansas in 2018). • In 2020-21, it was WVU’s 10th NCAA appearance in 14 years and 12th appearance in the last 17 seasons. • WVU has made 17 postseason appearances in the last 19 years, including the NCAA Final Four in 2010.
