You could tell almost instantly. 

 

WVU was sloppy, lacked energy and couldn’t hit a shot. Seven of its first 10 shots from the field were missed. A four-minute stretch without scoring. Not even an attempt to get the basket. WVU was content to just chuck up three pointers. 

 

The signs were there. 

 

Ballgame. 

 

No lower seeded team had won in this year’s Big 12 tournament heading into the WVU-Baylor quarterfinal. Early on, it looked as if the sixth-seeded Bears would reverse that trend. It was quite frankly, a maddening performance in a big moment from WVU. 

 

And then it wasn’t. 

 

In keeping with their character all year, a switch was flipped. Carter hit a desperation three as the shot clock expired. Wes Harris, all 6-9 of him, locked up 5-11 Manu Lecomte and forced a carry. 

 

It was a defensive performance that reminded me of 6-9 Devin Ebanks eating up up 5-8 Isaiah Thomas of Washington (now with the LA Lakers) in a Sweet 16 game back in 2010. 

 

The West Virginia bench exploded after the turnover. Suddenly, WVU had life. It had momentum. 

 

Those plays ignited a 20-5 run to end the half. The last theee points in that run came on a Jevon Carter three quarter court heave at the buzzer. It happened that quickly. What appeared to be a sure loss turned into a strong performance. 

 

Credit Carter for doing what seniors do. He took over and made plays. 

 

People always say guards carry teams in March. That was true last night. Carter did what he has done all year. Heck, he did what he’s done for four years.

 

He was disruptive defensively, finishing with six steals. Carter also added 18 points and 11 assists to notch his fourth double double of the year. 

 

His backcourt mate, Dax Miles was outstanding as well with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. His five 3-pointers, all in the second half, were critical against the Baylor zone and helped ensure West Virginia would close out the Bears. 

 

If nothing else, this year’s version of the Mountaineers has taught us to let the full 40 minutes of the game play out before drawing our conclusions. It looked like a loss last night but turned out as yet another win in the Big 12 tournament, the fifth in the last three seasons for WVU.

 

Now a return to a third straight Big 12 championship game is just one win away. 

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Sagaba Konate going after the tip in the jump ball against Baylor earlier this year at home, while the next two photos show Jevon Carter applying defense and Daxter Miles looking to push the ball, respectively, in the earlier contest. All photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.