With Darryl Bryant officially lost for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament, West Virginia must now rely on Joe Mazzulla to carry the load at point guard. Our ’Eers blog, The Smoking Musket, has the three keys to this new line-up being successful:
Key To WVU Recovering From Darryl Bryant’s Injury: Joe Mazzulla
— The health of Joe Mazzulla. By all accounts, his shoulder is healed and is not a lingering problem. That theory will be tested severely, considering the increased minutes headed his direction in the coming games.
— Keeping Mazzulla out of foul trouble. With no point guard on our bench, this is an absolute must. In what has become a staple of Joe’s game, the attempted charge may not be the best strategy in the coming game(s). Even if he has firmly established position, all it takes is a referee with a slight difference of opinion to force him to the bench for extended periods of time. Mazzulla must avoid fouls at all costs.
— The performance of our point forwards. Again, without another point guard on the bench, both Devin Ebanks and Da’Sean Butler will see their ball handling duties to dramatically increase. Mazzulla can’t play 40 minutes, so these two must deputize in his absence. Both have shown they are capable of doing exactly that, but when the stakes are this high, the element of doubt starts to rear its ugly head. We must protect the basketball, because at this stage of the tournament, the teams will punish careless mistakes swiftly.
Point guard was already the biggest flaw on this WVU team, which may actually help them overcome the loss of Bryant. They haven’t had great, consistent play from that position all season, so they know how to win in other ways. Although certainly the lack of depth they now face will be an issue if Mazzulla gets into foul trouble.
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