College Basketball Week 11: 5 biggest takeaways

Jan 21, 2017; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Matt Jones (13) reacts after scoring against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Matt Jones (13) reacts after scoring against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball: West Virginia at Kansas State
Jan 21, 2017; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Wesley Iwundu (25) dribbles by West Virginia Mountaineers forward Esa Ahmad (23) during a game at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won the game 79-75. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

2. West Virginia’s Big 12 issues aren’t hard to pinpoint

After a pair of defeats last week, the West Virginia Mountaineers have made winning a Big 12 regular season championship a difficult proposition. The Mountaineers now have three league losses through seven games and have yet to play their road matchups with the conference’s top teams, Baylor and Kansas. While the trio of upsets have come by a combined margin of seven points, there are some noticeable issues that suggest a bit of a trend.

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screenshot-2017-01-22-13-56-15 /

On the offensive end, the Mountaineers have turned the ball over on 22.2 percent of their possessions in their three conference losses. In their wins, that number is just 16.6 percent. This issue didn’t rear its head against Oklahoma, but was a big problem against Kansas State on Saturday. Turning the ball over means West Virginia has a tougher time setting its pressing defense, putting them in a less comfortable situation where they have to defend in the halfcourt or transition.

The turnover problems don’t just exist on offense. In their Big 12 losses, the Mountaineers have only created a turnover on 18.3 percent of possessions. With their high pressure style, a failure to create one often leads to easy baskets for the opposing team as reflected by their slightly worse 2-point defense in the above chart.

West Virginia is obviously a good team and it’s not too hard to attribute these losses — given their combined margin — to a lot of bad luck, but when the Mountaineers are losing the turnover battle, it puts them in a precarious position that deserves our scrutiny.